


Like a Revolver

by IamMidnight



Series: Midnight's House of Fluff [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Lance, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Altean Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Anal Sex, Bonding, Courting Rituals, Courtship, Galra Keith (Voltron), Knotting, Light-Hearted, Love, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Rituals, Omega Verse, Passion, Princes, Rough Sex, Scenting, Very close to a Soulmate AU, fated mates, fated pair
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2019-10-14 02:08:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17499578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamMidnight/pseuds/IamMidnight
Summary: Keith is amazing and, for that, Lance hates him. Hates the way he holds himself and looks slightly above everyone’s heads. Hates the way his cape billows so majestically behind him. Hates the way he always looks so cool and collected.He most definitely does not stay up at night thinking about him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is your standard Altean Lance and Galra Keith universe mixed in with ABO. The majority of this is going to be me imagining ridiculous mating and courting habits which I feel like aren't really explored outside of the actual sex. Thanks for anyone who reads this and indulges me losing control of my life.

“Look, my name is Prince Keith and I think half-jackets are cool look at my split ends and fanny pack!”

Hunk laughs, good friend that he is even though it is rehashed material and Lance can admit it isn’t his best.

“Lance, if you rip my jacket I’ll kill you. Also, he hasn’t even worn the half-jacket in years,” Pidge says, clawing at his arm.

Lance slips off the jacket he stole from her to play his fat man in a little coat joke about Keith and his too small jackets.

“It doesn’t matter if its been years. The essence of his bad taste lingers even today. It isn’t like he has gotten better anyway. Did you see the stupid new jacket he has? It’s still too short and it has these ugly yellow accents and weird white shoulders.”

“Lance, are you for real right now?” Pidge asks, shaking her head.

“What?”

“Well, um,” Hunk starts, tapping his fingers together nervously. “Your new jacket is from the same line and kind of…basically looks like Keith’s jacket?”

Lance shrieks, throwing his hands in the air. “MY jacket is STYLISH. His is STUPID.”

“I mean, it literally is from the same line, same designer, similar style…” Pidge adds.

“You guys are TRAITORS.”

The ad break ends and the program that triggered this most current outburst returns. Lance curls his lip, staring as Keith stands at attention, looking at a flag with a hand over his heart.

“Look at him. You can tell he thinks he is better than everyone else.”

Pidge and Hunk look at each other. “We have both actually met him and he seems pretty cool. A bit intense but cool.”

“Do you want me to have you beheaded for treason?”

Pidge rolls her eyes. “I just don’t get why you hate him so much when you have never even met him. Could it be…”

“Choose your words carefully right now…” Lance warns.

“I mean, he is handsome,” Hunk mumbles.

“Yes, and he knows he is and that is why I hate him!”

“So you do admit you think he is handsome?” Pidge prods, a smirk on her face.

“I hate you both and I have no real friends in this entire world.” Lance sulks down on the couch, glancing back at the screen.  

He knows he is being dramatic, but dammit Keith gets on his nerves. They are both princes of two neighboring kingdoms. Lance is the prince and future king of Altea. Altean inhabitants descended from the major elven tribes of yesteryear, retaining jeweled marks on their faces, pointy ears, and, if Lance does say so himself, devastating good looks. They are typically considered the beautiful kingdom with people who can manipulate quintessence or even practice alchemy.

Keith is the prince of the Galra of Daibazaal. A stupid word, Lance thinks. Too many As in a row. The Galra are big, oafish cat-like people who think beating others up and grunting a lot makes them the best kingdom in the world. Ok, maybe Lance can admit he is being a little mean. The Galra are a strength and power focused society though.  

The two kingdoms had vicious wars with each other in the past, but lately there had been an uneasy peace between them. This is all Lance has ever known, the last war ending more than two decades ago. For what it is worth, Lance recognizes that Queen Krolia is, by far, the best ruler the Galra of Daibazzal has ever had. She left behind some of the old prejudices that used to plague the Galra kingdom, bringing empathy to their power. Lance looks up her and the way she is strong, but not brutish or cruel.

Lance grinds his teeth as he watches Keith take a ceremonial torch and read from a book in the harsh Galran language.  

Since Lance respects Queen Krolia so much, it might naturally follow that he would also respect her son.

But, instead, Keith drives Lance absolutely crazy.  

First, he is only a half-Galra. Not that that matters to Lance at all, but Keith’s father is some strange, plainer version of Alteans from a planet called Earth. His father passed when he was young and Keith grew up to look nothing like a Galran Prince should. He is shorter and smaller than every other Galra. He has pale white skin instead of any shade of purple or mauve typically seen in Galra. His skin is smooth, he has small fleshy ears, no tail, nothing. The only Galra thing about him are his two piercingly perfect, purple eyes that stab Lance even from a TV screen.

These facts aren’t what inherently make Lance dislike Keith, but rather Keith’s choices in the face of his difference from the other Galra. Keith, once reaching his teenage years, fought extra hard to be taken seriously by a people who respect strength above all else. He trained hard and became thoroughly ripped. I mean, Lance can admit that he has an incredible body. He doesn’t hide in a tower like many royal children. He goes hunting, trains in multiple martial art forms, wrestles, spars, and leads military regiments. Queen Krolia, understanding that her son’s small stature might work against him, had allowed or maybe even arranged several displays of his strength and agility, including sporting events that showed Keith effortlessly beating everyone else.

It gets even more ridiculous with supposedly leaked videos that go viral on the internet. One shows Keith chopping wood shirtless, his muscular body straining with each axe strike. Another shows him pulling a small tree out of the ground with his bare hands. Yet another shows Keith shooting a bird out of the sky from the back of a galloping hequus, the Galra’s terrifying version of a regular horse that literally breathes fire and has rigid spines on its face and neck.

One time, he had even fought a Hydra by himself with one puny dagger and won. Lance still remembers watching that, the fire in Keith’s eyes, the ease by which he cornered and then killed the fearsome creature released into the arena with him.

Keith is _amazing_ and, for that, Lance hates him. Hates the way he holds himself and looks slightly above everyone’s heads. Hates the way his cape billows so majestically behind him. Hates the way he always looks so cool and collected.

It isn’t like Lance isn’t accomplished himself. He is basically the pride and joy of the Altean Kingdom. He was born with white hair and glowing marks, a sure sign of how special he is being mythic good omens for an Altean child.  

He is also an accomplished marksman, one of the best in the kingdom by the time he is a teenager. He also shows remarkable control of quintessence, following in his grandmother’s steps. He had grown up big and strong, charismatic, and well-loved.

Furthermore, he presented as an alpha when he was just 14 years old. Another good omen. Also, another reason to irrationally hate Keith.  

There are three possible secondary sexes, alpha, beta, and omega. They all have strengths and weaknesses, all three together blending to create a great society. Betas are possibly the most valuable. They are the most stable, most dependable, and most intelligent. It is true. Lance can admit it. Alphas and Omegas are the warriors of the bunch. They had heightened emotions and worked from instinct rather than reason.  Despite their similarities, there are significant differences too. Omegas are the most fertile out of any grouping of primary and secondary sexes. They also tend to be a bit more delicately built, often taking the role of stealth missions rather than brute force in wars and battles.

There were some prejudices that people held about the secondary sexes, but in general they had left behind the archaic rules that forced people into certain roles in life depending on their secondary sex. Still, every kingdom wants an alpha leader who has an omega partner. This was traditionally the most successful pairing. Lance’s parents were an alpha and omega pairing. His mother had passed when he was young, but was a powerful omega queen standing by King Alfor’s side.

Queen Krolia is a powerful alpha who ruled the Galra with a kind but firm hand.  

Keith however. It is always Keith that throws things out of control for Lance.

Keith has no secondary sex.

This isn’t abnormal anymore. Some species don’t have secondary sexes, like Keith’s father and now Keith.

It isn’t a big deal and Lance isn’t sure why it bothers him so much. Sure, it is a bit of a wrinkle if he ever does meet Keith. There are certain etiquette differences for how you greet someone depending on whether they are an alpha or an omega or a beta. Should he try to shake Keith’s hand? Should he just bow? But, usually the sexless person leads the way. If Keith reaches for his hand first, he would shake it. If he doesn’t, then he would bow.  

There is no reason why it should bother Lance.

He repeats this to himself as he watches Keith on the screen, now standing on a balcony, a purple robe billowing behind him as he waves at his people.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It is only a day later that Lance is woken up and informed by his father that Queen Krolia and Prince Keith would be visiting as part of an outreach attempt to further mend the previous tensions between the kingdoms. They planned to travel to see one of their outlying farm communities and help them with damage caused by the storm. Then they would come and visit the Altean kingdom.

Lance just shrugs. It would be good to see Queen Krolia again. He doesn’t care about Keith coming.

He doesn’t care so much that, when the day of their visit comes, he paces for a good hour in the morning, back and forth in his room until his father gently tells him to do something. He decides to take his favorite steed for a ride. Silili (Sil as a nickname) is a pure black Arabian stallion, so black that his coat sometimes seems to have hints of blue or purple in it. He is big, fast, and pretty much only lets Lance handle him. It is exactly what Lance needs to calm down.

They thunder through the trails surrounding the castle. It is hard to describe what it feels like to ride a horse, and especially a horse like this, to someone who has never experienced it. Lance can feel the power in the animal underneath him, the tense coil ready to snap at any moment. They run so fast that it takes his breath away. It is a warm summer day and, for a brief moment, Lance forgets their visitors, only enjoying the breeze in his hair, the smell of horse sweat, the feel of galloping hooves on soft soil.

When finished, he makes his way back to the stables and is surprised to see a group of people gathered close to the back entrance to the castle. His eyes quickly find purple ones looking at him and he swallows hard. Of course they would get here early. Of course.

Queen Krolia stands next to King Alfor as both impassively watch Lance and Sil. Keith stands just slightly to the side with a rather large guard with a white tuft and scar across his nose.

He decides that if he doesn’t have a chance to go inside and wash up and put on some makeup, then he might as well embrace it. He turns Sil toward the group, easing him into a canter that is a bit too fast for his approach. He rides up to a few feet before the group, pulling Sil up sharply. Sil seems to understand his need to look impressive. He throws his head, whinnying, lifting his legs in almost what would be called a prance.

Lance takes off his helmet, also throwing his head like the horse. His hair is pretty short but he hopes it looks cool anyway.

Keith’s wide eyes are glued on him.

 _Yeah that’s right_ , Lance thinks.

Then it hits him. _Something_ hits him. He dismounts and nearly falls to his knees when his feet hit the ground. Everything else seems to disappear except for the trembling half-Galra prince, now clutching himself with his arms wrapped tightly around his midsection.

Lance walks toward him, lifting his hand. Everything is dark except for Keith. Only Keith exists at this moment. He snarls when he sees other arms grab Keith and drag him backwards.

Then, he makes the mistake of inhaling.

The smell.

Lance will remember the smell as long as he lives. Gentle and powerful. Consuming him and empowering him. He fights against the arms that are now grabbing at him.

He is sure of two things as he blacks out. That Keith had just presented as an omega in front of everyone and that he is in love with him.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's POV over what happened that fateful day and the aftermath

“Do it again, Keith.”

“Mom…”

“Again!”

“Prince Lance is a Leo born July 28th. He is considered one of the best shots in his kingdom, possibly the world. He is 21 years old. He has a prized horse named Silili. His father is King Alfor. He is an early-presenting Alpha. He was good at English and Math in school, but disliked Science. He is a quintessence manipulator, of the first order. He likes walks on the beach and why does some of this shit even matter?”

“You need to be friends with Prince Lance.”

“I can be friends with him without knowing he is a Leo or likes the beach.”

“Keith, honey, I have seen you try to make small talk before without prepping. It is painful.”

Keith growls, sinking down in their limo. Shiro, his personal guard and best friend, looks on in poorly hidden amusement.

In-between being the center of a televised ceremony to celebrate the end of the last great Galran war, a photo op with sick kids at a hospital, and personally helping one of their poorer communities that had been damaged by a recent storm, his mother had been drilling facts into him about Prince Lance.

His age. His full name. His parents. His education. His accomplishments. Some general information about Altean customs.

They are both future rulers of kingdoms who have a shaky past with one another. His mother, as Queen, is looking beyond just her own reign to the future. She wants him to befriend the young Altean prince. She wants him to have Prince Lance on his side as an ally and comrade.

Keith understands her motives when she sets up a visit to the Altean Kingdom. It is his job to use this trip as a starting point for a future of working together with them.  

What Krolia doesn’t know is that he had also sought out his own information about Prince Lance. Krolia is only giving known facts. Keith wants to know what Lance is _really_ like. So, before leaving for this trip at all he makes sure to get some alone time with his only Altean friend, Allura.

Allura is someone who spent a lot of time training Lance in quintessence manipulation. She had eventually accepted a diplomatic position in Daibazaal. It was meant to be a temporary position, but she had ended up staying and eventually taking on a permanent position. Keith wonders if it is because of a certain military leader in their army, a rare Galra and Altean mixed species man with long blond hair.

In theory, a Galran Prince and an Altean diplomat from an aristocratic family would seem like an odd pair, but Keith and Allura became fast friends and confidantes after accidentally bumping into each other while trying to hide in the same room during a party that had lasted just a bit too long.

“So, what type of person is he?” He leans over the table where they are sharing cookies, looking at Allura’s beautiful prismatic eyes.

“Lance is a good guy. He will be a good King one day.”

“Allura. You sound like my mom. You spent a lot of time with him. What’s he _really_ like?”

“Well, it’s true. He’s a good guy and will be a good King. But, if we must…”

Allura looks around and ducks down, like someone might be listening, a smirk forming on her face.  

“He spends more time on his appearance than anyone else I have ever known. Seriously. He has a skin routine that rivals my own.”

Keith groans. “So he is vain?”

“A bit, yes. And flirty. A little immature for his age. He got in trouble a few years ago for getting drunk and swimming in a ceremonial fountain of the Balmeran Empire. It was a diplomatic _nightmare_.”

“And I have to be his friend.”

“Let’s stop acting like you are a prize in that department. Lance has some faults, but he isn’t terrible. He’s a generally good guy.”

“Is he one of _those_ alphas?” Knowing that Lance is an early presenter makes Keith a bit wary. He puts up with a lot of crap from toxic alphas in Daibazaal. He doesn’t need a pushy, arrogant alpha as a friend.

“Not at all. He is very kind.”

“Conservative?”

“Nope. If you are worried about him judging you for not having a secondary sex or for being mixed-species, I cannot imagine him caring.”  

“But still, a vain Altean prince…god, help me survive this upcoming week.”

“Stop being dramatic. Lance will be a good ally to have on your side. His people respect him. I really, truly meant it when I said he will be a good King for his people one day.”

“That is all that matters, really. We need someone who will continue my mother’s work with me.”

“I think you will find that in Lance, as long as you don’t insult his hair or something. Then it will be war.”

Armed with both Allura and Krolia’s information about Lance, Keith feels fairly confident on the ride over to the Altean castle. It is a peaceful drive, allowing Keith to marvel at the beautiful scenery in Altea compared to the rocky and dark Daibazaal. His mother and Shiro discuss security issues, but Keith zones out. He is confident he can take on any threats by himself if necessary.

When they draw closer to the grand Altean castle, his mother grabs his arm.

“Keith. Look at me.”

Keith sighs loudly and turns toward her.

“This is an important visit. You need to befriend Prince Lance. Do you have a battle plan?”

“From what I gather, he’s athletic and sporty like me. I was thinking of suggesting a ride or maybe a hike through their lands. Perhaps he could show me some traditional Altean sports.”

Krolia nods. “And don’t let your competitive nature get the best of you. Maybe even consider letting him win if you compete in some way.”

“Mom. Do you even know me?”

Krolia sighs. “Fine, just don’t embarrass him.”

“Maybe we should just avoid competitions…” Shiro muses, smiling at Keith.

She is worried for good reason. Keith is not diplomatic. He is not great at being social. He struggles making the personal connections that are necessary to foster good relationships with neighboring kingdoms. This is especially important since the Galra kingdom is on shaky footing with the rest of the planet. It is the only way that Keith lacks as a future leader. He hopes that his actions speak louder than his inability to charm strangers though.  

He is happy that Lance is a young, athletic guy like him. He hopes it will be easy to get in good with him just by doing what comes natural to him. Maybe they could work out together or something. He _is_ genuinely interested in exploring the beautiful Altean kingdom as well.  

When they pull up the castle, Shiro gets out first and opens the door for Krolia and Keith. King Alfor and a guard greet them at a side entrance to the Castle. What follows is a 10-minute long formal greeting between the King and Queen and young Prince. Keith feels a little happy that King Alfor seems as bored as he is with the formalities, but his mother wants to make sure that everything on this trip goes well so they go through the entire process.

Both sides had decided not to come with their entire entourage to encourage and facilitate warmth and trust. Keith prefers this. He would rather just have Shiro than an entire guard.

King Alfor also only brings one guard at his side, a tall man named Adam with golden Altean marks on his face.

“I apologize for my son not being here. He thought you would be coming later.”

“No problem at all. We did show up early. We can always catch up with Prince Lance at dinner,” Krolia says.  

It is then that they hear hooves.

Keith turns toward them. He isn’t sure what he is expecting to see, but it is not a majestic black horse running in their direction with an equally majestic Altean Prince on his back.

He has seen Lance before. He knows he is a handsome man.

But now? He isn’t just handsome. He looks sublime, otherworldly. He doesn’t even look real coming toward them on a galloping horse, blue eyes piercing through Keith even from hundreds of yards away.

He looks like he emerged out of some renaissance painting. He looks like some kind of mythological being that had risen from the ocean to grace the common people on the ground. He looks like an angel.

Keith stiffens, letting out a small gasp without meaning to. Shiro whispers something to him, a question, but he ignores it. 

Keith catches a whiff of something delicious mixed in with horse sweat. 

Then, he feels a weird cramp in his stomach. Not quite in his stomach though. Lower, more centered.

Deep inside him where he has never felt an ache before.

Suddenly heat is thrumming through him. He keeps his eyes on Lance, watching him masterfully handle the stallion stomping underneath him, watching him rip off his helmet. They make eye contact and it is like Keith has been shot. He hunches over as the heat explodes. Something twitches inside him and he feels a horrifying wetness in his pants.

Things are a blur after that. Shiro grabs him, picking him up like he is a child and practically running back toward the limo.

“Laaaaaaance,” Keith moans, reaching out a trembling hand toward the boy even as Shiro stuffs him into the limo and shuts the door.

Heat. Pain. Confusion.

Keith has no idea what is happening to him. He might actually be dying.

“Shiro?” he croaks out, watching as the man digs through the glovebox. “I need help, something’s wrong.”

He watches as a full body shudder rips through Shiro’s body. “Everything is ok. Just hold on a second,” Shiro says, red in the face and with beads of sweat dripping down his face. Keith wonders if they had all been poisoned.

Then, suddenly, Shiro has a needle in his hand. “Oh thank god,” he whispers before jabbing the needle into his arm.

Keith is rapidly losing his ability to care about what Shiro is doing though, gripping the seat as a wave of pain rockets through his body.

The last thing he thinks about before passing out is piercing blue eyes and the steady hand that had controlled the stallion between his long legs.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Keith regains consciousness, he is somehow back in his own bed and naked. If he was in his right mind, he would remember ripping his clothes off in the limo and basically attacking anyone who tried to clothe him afterward. He would remember punching out a window while screaming for Lance and kicking Shiro in the face when he tried to restrain him. Mercifully, everything is foggy for Keith right now. He looks down at the pillow below him and is surprised to see that it is wet. It is then that he realizes he is crying. Sobbing actually.

He looks over and sees his mother, clutching a wet rag and looking terrified.

“Sweetie, you have to calm down. Everything is ok.”

“Lance!” He screams at her.

She looks surprised. “Lance isn’t here.”

“Why isn’t he here? Did I do something wrong?”

“No…no of course not. Your hormones are going crazy right now. It’ll be over soon.”  

“I want Lance.”

“I know you do, sweetie.”

“I…I want babies!”

Krolia blinks in surprise and then awkwardly drops her eyes.

“Ok, where is Allura?” Krolia stands up, twisting the rag in her hands.  

Keith’s head clears for just long enough to realize that he just screamed to his mother that he wants babies.

“I don’t want babies. Why did I just say that? Mom, what is going on?”

“You just presented as an omega.”

“That isn’t possible. I am a human. I…”

“It apparently is possible. I can smell you. Can you smell me?”

Keith sniffs and, sure enough, a scent, a motherly one washes over him. He feels calmer, safer.

“I am way too old to be presenting.”

“I have never heard of someone presenting this late and this suddenly. I am sorry baby, but this is probably going to be unpleasant. Your body is going through some changes…”

Keith puts a hand on his flat stomach.

“I can’t have kids.”

“Not at the moment. But…your body…you are experiencing some changes right now. It’s possible you might be able to later, but we can always talk about that when you aren’t in the middle of presenting.”

Keith considers, feeling that same ache in his mid-section. There are also sharp pains in his lower back, gums, and ears. He happens to look up then, catching his own eye in the floor length mirror in his room.

He blinks when he sees himself. A creeping purple is spreading across his face and the part of his chest that he can see. He is also, without a doubt, bigger than he was earlier in the day.

“What the fuuu….” He stops mid-sentence as two of his teeth fall out, clattering to the ground beside the bed.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If anyone was close to the Galran castle that day, they would hear terrible screams reverberating throughout its walls. Krolia had sent almost everyone home though, including Shiro.

Newly presented omegas, especially ones presenting later like Keith, are particularly potent. Even her best, most trusted Alpha guard had to dose himself with numbing medication multiple times on the road home in the face of having a squirming, omega Keith in the car with him.

She sent out an urgent request for Allura to come to the Castle. Krolia had very, very little experience with omegas. There were none in her immediate family. Keith’s father didn’t even have a secondary sex. She knew that Keith needed another omega to help, like Allura. And, to be honest, she isn’t sure how much more she can take of Keith moaning for Lance and humping pillows in front of her.

Allura comes as quickly as she can, to her credit, immediately running up the stairs to get to Keith’s room.  

Keith is trembling in bed, panting, the painkillers a royal doctor gave him only serving to dampen the pain rather than rid him of it. He cycles through foggy numbness, excruciating pain, and being hornier than he has ever been in his entire life. He prefers the pain, where he is at least in his right mind.

He is in a pain cycle when Allura busts through the door.

She looks at him for a moment or two, barely registering as Krolia slips out of the room, nods, and then crawls directly into bed with him, pulling him close. He allows her, letting his head fall on her chest and breathing in the airy, flowery smell that he had never noticed on her before.  

“Allura?” His voice is both uncharacteristically deep and slightly slurred, like he has a lisp now.

“Welcome to the omega club.”

“It sucks.”

“The first time is the hardest, especially since you are so old. God, your poor bones.”

“I don’t have teeth anymore.”

“Galran omegas lose their teeth when they present. They grow back quickly. You will look even cooler now, with fangs.”

“There is something on my back.”

“What?”

“There is something MOVING on my BACK, Allura.”

She reaches down, gently lifting the sheet and then stifling a giggle.

“Oh my god you have a tail.”

“I don’t WANT a tail.”

“It’s adorable.”

“I hate you…”

“Can I do anything to help?”

Keith perks up. “Get Lance?”

“Lance? Lance Who?”

“Lance! The Lance!”

“Prince Lance??”

“Yes.”

“Why do you want him?” Allura asks, looking confused.

“I need him to…I need…” Keith slips a hand between his legs. A horny cycle is apparently on its way.  “Is this an omega thing? He was there when I presented.”

“Uhm, actually no. You should find the presence of alphas right now unpleasant unless you are related. Did he…did he do something to you?”

“He did this to me…” Keith moans, feeling a different type of heat rising in his body.

Allura watches him thoughtfully and then discreetly reaches behind his neck, feeling for a mating bite.

Keith keens when her fingers drag across his neck, leaning into the touch.

“Whoa, Keith…are you touching yourself right now?!”

This would be pretty high on the list of most embarrassing things that Keith has ever done, but the fog had settled back in and right now, he just doesn’t care.

Allura seems amused rather than offended though. “So, we can have the full omega talk later, but I brought you a present, one of my personal favs, to get through this part.”

She holds up a large purple dildo with a flared base, grinning brightly.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Ulaz. Update me.”

Krolia had all but run from Keith’s room when Allura showed up, following the advice of their royal doctor to leave the two omegas alone.

“He’s fine or will be fine. His vitals are good. His heart sounds good. His bloodwork is normal for a presenting omega.”

“Why did he present so late?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. It’s why he is in so much pain right now though. Imagine all the aches of puberty happening in a few days instead of over the course of years.”

Krolia sits down, putting her head in her hands.

“My Queen, this is a temporary issue, yes, but we…Keith gains a lot in the long run. Our people respect an alpha or omega more than someone without a secondary sex. He has also grown at least three inches already. He won’t be the size of a normal Galra, but the difference won’t be as extreme after this. It will be easier for him to get respect from our people.”

“Ulaz, I don’t care what the people think right now. My _son_ is in pain.”

“Of course, your Majesty. I only meant to look at the bright side. Prince Keith’s comfort is our top priority right now.”

“Why does he keep calling out for Lance? That isn’t normal behavior.”

“I hate to say I don’t know again, but I don’t know. You are sure they have not met previously?”

“Yes.”

“You are sure he did not do something to Keith when you weren’t looking?”

“I was with Keith the entire week. Plus, if Prince Lance had bitten him or raped him or force bonded him I would have already ripped his dick off.”

“Of course.  Well, I don’t have a scientific explanation for why Keith is acting like a bonded omega right now. There are myths, of course…”

Krolia looks up at him. “Myths?”

“About fated pairs and soulmates…”

“Oh gods, next you will be telling me that mermaids and unicorns exist. Let’s continue looking for a rational explanation.”

“Of course. One other thing…a call came in while you were with Prince Keith.” At this, Ulaz looks uncomfortable, not meeting Krolia’s eyes.

“And?”

“Prince Lance is on his way.”

“On his way…where?”

“Here. He is on his way here.”

Krolia’s claws unsheathe and she stands up, balling her fists.

“Does that little twerp think I am just going to hand over my son for him to fuck?”

“It is a shocking breach of etiquette. I don’t deny that. But, we should keep a few things in mind right now. I have never heard anything but good things about Lance and what a good, respectful alpha he is. King Alfor is also one of the finest alphas and men I have ever met. He would not raise a brute.”

“And yet Lance is on his way here now to see my vulnerable, presenting omega son.”

“I think we should consider that Lance may also have been affected by whatever affected Keith. It may be that he is just as confused as Keith is right now. King Alfor told me that Lance was nearly feral when Keith presented…”

Krolia growls deep in her chest, making even Ulaz, a beta, cringe away from the angry alpha mother.

“But not because he wanted to, as you word it, fuck Keith, but because he thought Shiro was hurting him. He wanted to protect Keith. I would advise not acting rashly right now, Queen Krolia. Lance is young and foolish. Give him a chance before assuming he just wants sex, especially considering what King Alfor will do if you hurt _his_ son.”

Krolia considers it and then nods. “You are right. To be clear, he’s not allowed in the Castle walls at all. He’s not allowed anywhere near Keith at this moment.”

“Absolutely.”

“But I will hear him out. I will assess the situation myself and see what kind of alpha Prince Lance really is. If he does not have honorable intentions toward my son, then there is no alliance on this planet that I would put above my son’s safety. I will burn the Altean kingdom to the ground if I have to.”

“Of course, My Queen.”

They are suddenly interrupted by a loud moan, unmistakably sexual in nature.

Krolia blushes, sitting back down and putting her hands over her face. “Oh god, Ulaz, I’m not going to survive this.”

“There there, Your Majesty. Perhaps I will contact the royal architect and we can see sound and scent proofing Keith’s room.”

  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Krolia...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance arrives at the Galra Kingdom with a little help. Krolia is still struggling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit choppy and I know that but I want to get to the "good stuff" rather than outlining Lance's entire journey. We will get another Keith POV very soon, promise, and that will explain more of his changes.

Lance leans over, furiously at work. All those years of survival training have led him to this moment. A few raided closets when his dad was on the phone and now he can do what he needs to do.

He hears a knock on the door behind him.

“Go away” he yells.

But the person does not go away and he hears the lock clicking and then the door swings open. He hides his secret work behind him before turning to see Pidge and Hunk standing in the doorway. Without thinking, he bares his teeth and snarls at them.

Pidge’s eyes widen in shock. As a beta, she is mostly immune, unlike Hunk who immediately backs up, dropping his eyes and bowing his head, an immediate move to placate Lance.

Lance slaps a hand over his mouth in shame.

“Shit guys, sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

Pidge and Hunk share a look before walking cautiously into the room.

“So, what’s going on, buddy?” Hunk says, still holding his hands in front of him in a nervous gesture.

“I’m in love with Keith,” Lance answers, deciding to be blunt about the current reason for his anguish.

He isn’t sure what reaction he expects, but it definitely isn’t Pidge and Hunk sharing another look, one that is a bit too smug, and then Pidge turning to him. “Well, yeah, but what else is new?”

She is teasing him, but Lance has so many endorphins and hormones flooding him that he doesn’t even rise to the bait.

“Oh my god. I _have_ always been in love with him, haven’t I? How couldn’t I be? He’s so perfect, so beautiful, so strong…”

There is a moment of awkward silence before Pidge and Hunk laugh nervously.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Pidge asks.

“Why would my love be a joke?”

“From what we understand, you haven’t even spoken to him yet…” Hunk says.

“Our love is deeper than words.”

As he talks to Hunk, Lance doesn’t see Pidge sneaking closer to him and then grabbing his hidden work, the result of hours of raiding closets and knotting fabric.

“Is this really a bunch of sheets tied together? Oh my god, were you going to try to escape out the window with this? Lance, you are on the 10th floor.”

“This isn’t a cartoon. It wouldn’t support your body weight!” Hunk adds on.  

“You would just fall on the ground, break a lot of bones, and then lay there pathetically until someone found you,” Pidge continues.  

Lance battles against baring his teeth again.

“Ok, tell us what is really going on? We heard Keith presented as an omega and you had a fight with your father, but why are you acting like a crazy alpha right now?” Pidge asks.  

Lance rubs his hands through his hair in frustration. “I’m in love with Keith and he is in pain right now and confused and he needs me.”

“Why would he need you and not family or friends or a doctor?” Hunk asks.

“I need to be with him right now,” Lance repeats. Simple and to the point of how he feels right now.

“So this isn’t some weird prank you are playing on us?” Pidge asks.  

“There is nothing funny about Keith being alone right now.” Lance can’t stop his teeth from showing, just a bit.

“Ok, whoa, Lance, you are alpha-ing out right now,” Pidge says.

“You are acting like he is your omega or something,” Hunk continues.

Lance stares at them, face completely serious.

“Keith isn’t your omega unless a big piece of the puzzle is being left out,” Pidge says.  

“Oh my god. Did you bond him? Oh holy shit. Our kingdoms are going to war. Jesus, Lance. You bit a strange Galra Omega Prince that can _kill_ us with his bare hands!” Hunk nervously clasps his hands in front of his body.

“No. I didn’t bite him. Our bond runs deeper than any bite mark,” Lance hisses.  

“Okaaaaaay. Well, we are just going to leave now and let you calm down. We are taking this with us though,” Pidge says as she grabs the knotted sheets and hustles Hunk out of the room.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

With his sheet rope gone, Lance is only left with his thoughts. He runs what happened through his head again and again. Lance only remembers bits and pieces of what happens after he sees his omega in person for the first time. Rough hands pinning him down, shouts. Adam and his dad grappling with him. At some point, his mind becomes clearer and he is sitting in his dad’s room, handcuffed. His dad had been furiously writing something at his desk, back turned to Lance.  

“Dad?”

King Alfor is a kind man, but there is no trace of kindness in his face when he turns around. “Are you acting like a human being again?”

“Dad, where is Keith?”

“That is none of your concern. Keith is none of your concern.”

Lance growls and his dad looks shocked.

“My son, what’s happening? You’ve never growled at me. And you went feral in front of a vulnerable omega like some kind of brute...”

“I need to get to Keith and keep him safe. He is so scared right now.”

“And you think a strange alpha who can’t even stay calm in the face of a newly presented omega will make him feel safer?”

Lance is silent.

“Do you even realize what you might have done?”

“That other alpha grabbed him and…”

“That other alpha being Takashi Shirogane, trusted friend, confidante, and guard of Keith since he was a child?”

“I wasn’t going to attack Keith. I needed to protect him.”

“That isn’t what it looked like to us. It looked like you were fighting your own father to get to an unbonded, vulnerable, newly presented omega and not just any omega. Queen Krolia of the Galra’s precious only son. This might literally start a war, Lance.”

“I’m in love with him.”

“You haven’t even spoken to him. Stop this madness.”

“Uncuff me and let me go to him.” Lance does his best to look sympathetic, something his father does not even acknowledge before turning back to his desk.  

“You will do no such thing. You will go to your room and, when the time is right, come and prostrate yourself before Queen Krolia and Prince Keith’s feet, asking for forgiveness. All the guards have been informed of the situation. They have orders to detain you with tranquilizer darts if they see you trying to leave the castle walls.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It is midnight when he sneaks out of his room. The sheet rope was a dumb idea. He thinks he knows the rotation of the guards well enough to get out, even if its been awhile since he snuck out of the castle in the middle of the night. The surveillance cameras are harder to avoid, but he hopes he can make it out before any alert can be raised.

He slips his way toward the closest exist, a side door outside of the nearest kitchen. It is dark and the halls wind endlessly, but this is his home and he was recently a teenager. He knows how to sneak around. He thinks he is in the clear, close to the final exit, when a hand settles on his shoulder. He turns, teeth bared.

Pidge.

“Holy shit Lance, please tell me you are not breaking out of the castle to go see Keith.”

Hunk is behind her, rubbing a hand down his face.

Lance deflates. It feels like everyone is keeping him from where he needs to be.

“You guys…he is scared and alone and he needs me. I can’t…I need to make sure he is ok. Please.”

He is trembling now, eyes shiny. All he can think about is Keith in trouble, that other alpha with the scar across his face grabbing Keith and stuffing him in the car, Keith confused and scared and in pain. He needs to be there and no one seems to understand.

“So, we are going to assume that you will keep trying until you succeed and go check on Keith?” Hunk asks.

Lance nods. 

“Will you stop your dad from beheading us if we help you?” Pidge asks.

Lance nods harder, a smile spreading on his face.

“This is a bad idea,” Hunk groans, but nevertheless follows Lance and Pidge out of the Castle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The three travel as quickly as possible to the Galra Kingdom, but there is quite a bit of space to cover. Their journey through the dark leaves plenty of time for Krolia to sit and fester.

Keith had calmed down considerably in the last few hours. Some of his new teeth are poking through. His growth had stagnated. Allura is right there with him, cuddling him. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Except for the arrogant alpha prince of the Altean Kingdom.

The one who had went feral in front of her son.

Krolia’s previous knowledge of Lance included most people claiming that he is a good boy. Some youthful hijinks, but nothing Krolia herself hadn’t done at that age. She knows he is a bit arrogant and flirty, but, again, he is young.

But now her mental picture includes a snarling, growling alpha Lance, trying to attack his own father to get to Keith.

Keith who is more innocent than he would like to admit.

Keith who is her precious baby angel.

Krolia is not in the best of moods as she puts on her royal armor in preparation for Lance’s arrival. The armor is all sharp points and ridges, dark reds and blacks. She wears it when she wants to be extra intimidating.

She shouldn’t even agree to speak to Lance, but she must know for sure. She must know who her son is still crying for even now. She understands the gravity of the meeting. If he tries to force himself into the castle or otherwise threatens Keith or Krolia, she would have to detain him or worse.  

She finally gets word that the Prince and his friends had arrived. She doesn’t allow him into the castle walls of course, but rather directs him to a balcony where she can look over him from inside the castle and take action if needed. Prince or not, she would take swift action against anyone who insults or threatens her only son.

All it takes is about 30 seconds looking down at Prince Lance and his friends to dispel any ideas that she had about him.

She had expected Lance to show up as a cocky, spoiled alpha, shoving his way into their space and trying to defile her precious son.

Instead, what she sees before her is a lovesick boy more than a man. He kneels before her, one arm crossed over his chest. It is a submissive act, one that shows that he knows he is in the wrong, one that a prince would normally never do for another.

He looks up at her with pleading, gentle eyes.

“Prince Lance of Altea, you are not welcome here. I have not invited you.”

She can’t go too easy on him, of course.

“I apologize, Queen Krolia. I had to come and make sure Prince Keith is safe and…and ok. That he is healthy.”

“Why is my son any of your concern?”

“I want to protect him.”

Krolia pauses for a moment. “Do you think that you can protect him better than me, the Alpha Queen of the North, or my most trusted guards, or his best friends who have known him all his life?”

Lance appears to think. “No, your Grace. It was presumptuous to think that I could protect him when you could not. Please, tell me he is safe though. I cannot rest until I know for sure.”

“Prince Keith is fine. He has our royal doctor monitoring him, an omegan friend helping his transition, and guards surrounding the area to keep him safe.”

Lance nods and visibly relaxes.

“What is your intention with my son?”

“I’m in love with him.”

Krolia blinks, not expecting him to declare his love that openly. “Have you proven yourself worthy of being in love with him?”

“I…”

“You haven’t asked to court him. You haven’t followed our rules and etiquette. You presume that you can just stroll in here and declare your love without proving yourself worthy?”

Lance stands up, pulling himself into a straight line.

“I want to court Prince Keith, your Majesty.”

“Prove yourself worthy of courting him and I may consider allowing it.”

Then she turns and leaves. Keith would kill her if he knew how harshly she had spoken to the boy he claims to love, but if the love has any basis in reality, then Lance would not let this deter him. Keith deserves a dedicated lover, one that wouldn’t turn away because of one little obstacle.

Lance wrings his hands and looks at Hunk and Pidge after the Queen re-enters the Castle. “What do I do?”

“Let’s make camp and talk,” Hunk says, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

They quickly find a spot to sleep, Lance putting up tents in a daze, exhausted now, but more worried about how he would prove himself worthy. They settle around a campfire and Pidge takes a deep breath, tenting her hands in front of her face. “Ok first things first, you do realize you aren’t acting like you should be, yes?”

“What do you mean?”

“You are acting like Keith is your omega already and he isn’t,” She replies.

Lance is quiet. “Ok, I don’t get it, but I can’t stop it. I have never been so sure of something in my life.”

“Fated…” Hunk whispers.

“Hunk, that is a fairytale,” Pidge responds harshly.  

Lance perks up. “You can’t explain everything with Science, Pidge. Fated mates…maybe he is my soulmate.”

It is a myth. Something they heard as children and dismissed as adults. But what else could explain what Lance is feeling right now? Keith feels like his best friend already, someone created for him and vice versa. Like the universe had already tied them together with strands of star dust and dreams.

“I will find a scientific explanation later. Since you want to court him, here are the ways you can do it, according to general knowledge I have on the subject matter. So, there are a bunch of different customs for courting and proving worthiness. It is a system of giving gifts, overcoming trials, and getting to know your future spouse. There are suggestions for how to do this. The Balmerans, for example, have a mountain trial they have to overcome together. However, the exact customs depend on the couple themselves, the species, the personalities. It is a process of figuring out what works for the specific couple,” Pidge says.

“Right, and you guys are inter-species which makes everything harder. The Galra court in one way and we Alteans in a different way. And, mix in Keith’s weird…human? side…” Hunk muses.  

“I will figure it out, but you are forgetting that I don’t even have permission to court him yet. How do I impress Queen Krolia enough to allow it?”

“She is big and scary,” Hunk says.

“She is,” Lance shudders. He has zero doubts that Queen Krolia could kick his ass if necessary.

“She is also Galra, pure Galra, so she respects strength and power. Did you see the outfit she was wearing to meet us? Compare that to what your father usually wears when not in battle. Do you think she sees you as strong and powerful enough for Keith?” Pidge asks.

Lance picks at his skin. “Honestly, sometimes the Galra see us as…weaklings. We are smaller, more delicate, use strategy and magic over brute force…oh my god, does she think I am too delicate for Keith?”

“I mean, it’s possible. Try to think of a way to show your strength to her and Keith. Because, no offense, but Keith could probably kick your ass,” Pidge responds.

Lance bristles at the idea of being seen as weak. The prince, the man, and the alpha in him don’t like it. “She thinks I am some delicate weakling…so I just have to prove to her that I am not.”

“A feat of strength?” Hunk asks.

“I could challenge Takashi Shirogane to a duel…” Lance thinks outloud.

“This is up to you. Do what feels right. Does this feel right for wooing your man and his protective Alpha Queen mother?” Pidge prompts.

“It doesn’t feel right. Shirogane is Keith’s best friend and someone who Krolia trusts. Plus, it would seem possessive since I kind of freaked out when I saw him touching Keith. I don’t want to be that alpha. Come on Pidge, Hunk tell me what to do.”

“If you are a fated pair, which I don’t think exists for the record, then let your instincts guide you. What do you think would prove you worthy of the strength and power of a Galra?” Pidge responds.

“Just follow what your heart tells you,” Hunk adds.

  
Lance lays back, wracking his brain for how he can prove himself. He thinks about Keith and what he knows about Keith. He lets his mind wander through what he knows about the Galra themselves.  

Then, suddenly it hits him.  

“I know what I have to do,” he exclaims, jumping to his feet and pumping a fist into the air.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, predictions for what Lance is going to do?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance completes his first feat of strength to earn the right to court Keith. Then, the two boys see each other for the first time since the presentation. Keith also surprises his poor alpha mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few TW-technically animal death but like, the animal is a robeast.  
> Some blood  
> Also, a vomit mention, but not graphic and no one actually vomits. They just think someone will vomit.

What started as a joyful quest to earn the right to court his beloved quickly descends into Lance hating his life. I mean, not _really_. But why does Daibazaal have to be so rocky and dangerous?

To find the object of his feat of strength, he had to cross over a burned-out flatlands with harsh, unforgiving brush that tore at his clothes and body. Now, he is 2 hours into god knows how many it will take him to climb a mountain. And, not just any mountain. Altea has mountains that Lance loves, beautiful sprawling ones.

The Galran mountains are basically just sharp rocks though, like glass, with no easy paths and every step a toss-up between you taking another step or hurtling to your death.

But Lance forges on. All of this is a small price to pay for the love of his life, which he is convinced Keith is even if they still hadn’t spoken a single word to one another.

Daibazaal is a bit like Australia of Earth in that everything is trying to kill you. They have 80% of the poisonous and venomous creatures in the entire world. That isn’t counting how many terrifying other animals exist, huge territorial lions, boars the size of houses, sea creatures that resemble Greek myths more than normal creatures.

Lance has his eyes set on a very particular creature though.

A robeast.

They are lion-like creatures, but with a head that more resembles, horrifyingly enough, a human face. Well, a human face in theory at least. The gaping rows of sharp teeth and 8 eyes eliminate most of the humanity in them.  

What really makes them really dangerous is the armor though. They somehow have natural metal armor covering large portions of their bodies, making them nearly impenetrable to attack. They were smart, big, fast, and hard to hit. They were also nasty creatures, murdering even when not hungry. One robeast had killed an entire village one time for no other reason than bloodlust.

Lance would not, could not fail though. His pride and, well, not wanting to die refuses to let him consider failing. However, once finally reaching the valley on the mountain where most robeasts live almost changes his mind. He climbs a tree and watches, waiting, until one finally walks close enough for him to view.

It is bigger and scarier than he had imagined. It drools as it walks, not even caring to look around because robeasts just assume nothing is stupid enough to pick a fight with them. No one really attacks them except maybe the Galra themselves and only if necessary.

With a set jaw, Lance thinks of strategy. The only problem is the best strategy seems to be to use this moment against the robeast. It is unprepared, sniffing at the ground, unaware that Lance sits in a tree above it.

So Lance takes a deep breath and throws himself off the tree toward the creature, only a dagger in his hands since he thought that bringing his bow and arrows or a gun would be cheating.

He immediately regrets this decision. He barely touches the dirty hide of the creature before being kicked to the side, hard. He slams against a tree, screaming in pain. He has, at least, broken a few ribs already.

And worse yet, the robeast is angry. With a furious snort, he charges Lance, 4 rows of sharp teeth bared to taste his flesh. Lance jumps just fast enough to avoid disaster, letting the robeast bite the tree behind him, just missing being torn to shreds.

He stabs quickly, but hits the metallic armor and the blade bounces off uselessly. Lance snarls, angry and not quite registering that he may have made a mistake that would cost him his life.

The robeast essentially punches him, swinging a huge paw in his direction. Lance is agile and manages to avoid the worst of it, but the side of the paw still sends him flying again, this time rolling across the ground several times before stopping.

Lance decides that Plan C is his next step since Plan A and B failed instantly. Robeasts are smart, but Lance is smarter. He runs for all he is worth toward something he had scouted while entering the valley. He is fast, but the robeast is huge with legs longer than Lance’s. He prays he didn’t misjudge the timing. He prays he won’t end up a robeast meal with no one even knowing what happened to him.

He can feel the breath of the beast on his neck as he finally reaches his target-a sudden cliff, obscured by vines and trees to look like there is no cliff at all. Lance leaps over the edge, just narrowly grabbing onto a vine that holds him from plunging to his death. The robeast is less lucky, charging over the edge and then plunging downward, at least a few stories, hitting the ground with a large crack.

Most would assume victory, but Lance knows better. Lance knows what he is up against. The robeast rises, looking up at him with an angry growl and then charges back up the mountainside toward him. Lance prepares himself, knowing that once you anger a robeast one of you has to die. It’s not like he can just hide or something now.

It takes a shockingly short amount of time for the robeast to reach him again. Lance crouches down, dagger in hand, beckoning the monster to come get him.

And the beast does, charging and drooling and angry and a thing of nightmares as he bares down on Lance. Lance lets himself be thrown to the ground, the terrifying teeth snapping at him, the claws digging into his sides.

The creature is overly confident now. It is used to having protection, but the plan works perfectly for Lance. The armored outside of the beast is cracked, leaving the tiniest sliver of space for him to drive the knife home, plunging it into the beast’s heart.

It collapses on top of him almost instantly, blood pouring out of its mouth down onto Lance.

Lance laughs though. He had won. He had lived. Now all he has to do is hike the few miles back with a few hundred-pound dead robeast on his back and he would earn the right to court his beloved. His happiness at that moment makes him, at least momentarily, forget how terrible the hike back would be.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Krolia is surprised when Shiro announces to her that the Prince of Altea is at the Castle and requesting her presence. She didn’t expect anything this soon, but knows from the look on Shiro’s face that she needs to see him right away. So, she puts on her casual armor and walks out on the balcony, not entirely sure what she will see. Then, her eyes find Lance, walking toward the balcony, hunched just a bit with a dead animal slung across his back. She looks closer and realizes it is a robeast.

She immediately face palms, suddenly regretting her rash words to tell him to earn his right to court Keith. She never thought he would do something as dangerous as attack a robeast. He also looks terrible, scratches and wounds all over his body. His hair is covered in blood, it looks like his shirt has been clawed off his back, and he looks more disheveled than Krolia thought possible for the pretty Prince of Altea.  

Lance tosses the robeast onto the ground in front of him and kneels again, crossing his arm across his chest.

“Your majesty, I have defeated a robeast and am gifting it to you and Prince Keith.”

Krolia isn’t quite sure what to say. If King Alfor knew that she guided, in any way, Lance toward such a dangerous mission, he would behead her.

It turns out that she doesn’t have to say anything because, at that moment, Keith throws open the balcony doors and walks out. He is just now decent enough to be seen by other people. He still looks a little pale and a little unsteady, but her Keith is coming back, the determined stare, his clenched jaw and purposeful walk.

It is the first time the two boys have seen each other since what Krolia calls “The Incident” in her head. They both seem frozen for a moment, eyes locked. She wonders if Lance would accept the changes that had happened to Keith. He is nearly a foot taller now, light purple skin, eyes more slitted though the same purple as always. His new teeth are fully grown in, fanged and sharper than before. It makes Krolia’s heart ache to look at him because, now more than ever, he reminds her of a combination of her and her husband.

There is some indication that Keith will be able to control his appearance a bit like many half-breeds. Earlier, with Allura, he was able to momentarily go back to his human appearance with pale white skin and human eyes and ears. Ulaz says it may even be possible for him to shift more completely eventually and get rid of the tail. However, his height, his teeth, and even the new claws would not go away. He definitely looks very different from the boy Lance saw that day.

She has no need to worry though. Lance’s face softens and she can feel his affection radiating off him in waves.

“Prince Keith…” Lance whispers before redoubling his kneeling efforts. “Prince Keith, firstly, I hope you are well. I also need to apologize for my behavior. I do not know what came over me and that behavior is not an indication of who I am as a person. I do want to say that my only intention was to protect you and nothing else.”

“I can protect myself,” Keith answers, eyes burning proudly.

“I know. Please forgive me for ever implying otherwise. I hope you can forgive me. I have also brought this slayed robeast to you and Queen Krolia as an offering.”

Keith only then seems to notice the robeast laying at Lance’s feet. His eyes widen and he grips the edge of the balcony.

“You…” he starts, staring in disbelief at the creature. “You…” he starts again, voice soft and gentle.

“You…MORON!” he finally finishes, curling his lip.

Lance gasps and then opens his mouth, but Keith cuts him off.

“You could have died. They would have eaten your body and none of us would have ever known. Idiot!”

Krolia groans, wishing her rash son would be a little more careful with his words, just this once.

Krolia can’t help looking to see Lance’s reaction though. He opens and closes his mouth once or twice and then stands upright.

“Let’s get one thing straight, mullet. I would never let some stinking robeast kill me. I am Prince Lance of Altea and I am awesome.”

Keith rolls his eyes.

“And excuse me for thinking I would need to nearly die in order to earn permission from Queen Krolia to court you. Is _anything_ in your Kingdom that is nice or soft?” He is defiant now, puffing his chest out.

Keith stops for a moment and then blinks. “I am the only one who can allow someone to court me or not.” He looks over at Krolia, glaring, and she gives a very un-queen like shrug.

“To be fair, I didn’t think he would go chase after a robeast of all things,” she hisses, turning to face her son.

“I can’t believe you. You didn’t even ask me…” Keith hisses back.  

“So, may I?” Lance asks from below.

They both turn, looking down at Lance again.

“May you what?” Keith asks.

“Prince Keith of the Galra, first and only son of Queen Krolia, first of your name, Defender of the North and Slayer of Beasts, may I court you?”

Krolia could cry and might cry later in the privacy of her bedroom. There is something in his face that reminds her so much of her dead husband and his earnest pleas to her.

Keith seems speechless and then gives a rather stiff nod before turning and basically powerwalking back into the castle.

“I will grant you more desirable living quarters for you and your friends while you are here. We will speak again soon, Prince Lance of Altea.” Krolia bows her head, just slightly, before following her son. She sees Lance’s eyes widen before she turns and she hopes he doesn’t get the idea that she is going to be too easy on him from here on out.  

When she enters the Castle, she almost stumbles over Keith right away. He is on the ground with his back against the wall like he had barely made it back inside before being overcome with something. Krolia immediately kneels next to him.

“Honey, tell me what’s wrong. Do you feel sick? Do I need to call Ulaz?”

He has his hand firmly over his mouth and Krolia assumes he might vomit. She puts a steadying hand on his shoulder.

He drops his hand and opens his mouth, except instead of vomit or words coming out, there is a high pitched squeaking sound that emerges instead.

Krolia’s mouth drops and she stands upright in her surprise.

“Did you…did you just…”

“No!” Keith yells.

“You just tried to chirp. Oh my gods, Keith, you can chirp!!”

It is a strictly omega sound, a happy, high pitched soothing noise that indicated a very happy, pleased, or content omega. Not every omega can do it though. Very few Galran omegas can, particularly. It just isn’t natural for their vocal chords and body types. Even Keith’s was a bit clumsy coming out of his mouth. A bit clumsy, but also the most adorable thing Krolia has ever heard. The alpha mother in her screams with joy at hearing that noise come from her son.

“Shut up. It never happened.”

“Keith…do you think you can do the other omega thing?”

Keith stands up abruptly, storming out of the room. “NO! I hate you. Never bring it up again.”

Krolia clutches her hands to her chest, affectionately watching her amazing son storm out of the room. Some things never change and that is exactly how Krolia wants it.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like, the hormones and endorphins are leveling out a bit so they are sliding back into more of their canon personalities lol. Lance has spent years making fun of Keith and being indignant about him so that isn't going to change just because he is in love with him :p 
> 
> Also, you probably know what "other omega" thing Krolia wants to know if Keith can do :D :D :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith makes his own courting gesture for Lance. Also, Keith has one part of his new body that he hates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Life has been shitty. I am not entirely happy with this, but I want to get through this to get to Keith and Lance interacting in person, next chapter.

“It’s not that bad, Keith.”

“Why can’t I just cut if off?”

“Well, it _is_ a part of your body…”

“People cut off parts of their bodies all the time. There is liposuction and nose jobs…and hair…”

Keith is fine with most of the changes that happened to his body. The extra height and muscle mass? Wonderful. His sharper teeth and slightly more animalistic eyes make him look cooler and more like a Galra, which isn’t a bad thing. He looks more like the people he will one day rule now. He is secretly happy that he won’t be itty bitty compared to the rest of the Galra now.   

It is weird to see shades of purple skin instead of white and the fluffy ears take some getting used to, but, on the plus side, he can hear everything within a mile radius now. Plus, like most hybrids, he can adjust his appearance if he concentrates hard enough so he can go back to being normal Keith if he wants, though a bit taller and more grizzled.

However.

The tail.

The tail is another story.

Not many Galra have tails and the tail and the fluffy ears together…well, those physical features are sometimes fetishized. There is a whole weird subsection of porn made just for tail fetishists.

Just, why the tail? Why couldn’t he just be bigger and cooler?

He is already angry at Allura and Shiro, who have been smirking at him all morning, watching as his tail wags and flips around like it has a mind of its own.

It is also the one feature he cannot get rid of, no matter how much he concentrates. He can be back to normal, human Keith, but that damned tail would still flail around like an idiot behind him.

“I’ve heard rumors about tails...have you tried rubbing right at the base?”

“Allura, I will kill you.”

“Why does this embarrass you? You basically masturbated in front of me and Shiro and half the castle…”

“I was in heat. And I hate you.”

His tail punctuates the sentiment with a violent swish back and forth.

Shiro snickers. “That was cute.”

Keith glares at him furiously before grabbing his tail and doing the one thing that seems to help. He wraps it around his abdomen, pulling his shirt back down. If he concentrated, then he could keep it at bay, hiding under his shirt rather than being out there for everyone to see.

“We have more important things to talk about anyway. What do I do about Lance?” Keith asks.

Allura looks at Shiro, biting her lip.

“I don’t get why you want to let him court you.” Shiro states bluntly.

“He is my soulmate.”

“Okaaaaay…” Shiro draws out the word, looking concerned.

“What, Shiro? Do you not believe in love at first sight?” Allura asks.

“Do you really think Keith is the type of person to believe in soulmates and falling in love with someone that, I want to emphasize, he hasn’t even had a conversation with?”

“Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Keith growls.

“My father always believed in fated mates. Keith is acting like an omega in love, yet he has no bite. What else could it be?” Allura says.  

“It is weird though…” Keith mumbles. He knows that he shouldn’t be feeling this way about Lance.

“Are you sure he didn’t do something to you? Alteans are magical…” Shiro puts the idea out there sheepishly, glancing at Allura again.

“With all due respect, Alteans could not and would not force someone to fall in love. Plus, they gain nothing out of this. You know the Galra’s standing in the world alliance. If anything, the Galra have more reason to want to force a match with the Alteans,” Allura responds.

“She isn’t wrong. They gain nothing from tricking me into falling in love,” Keith affirms.

“Just be careful,” Shiro warns, brows furrowed.

“It isn’t like you are married anyway. Its just courting. Either of you can still call things off, right up until the end. Just use this time to get to know him and figure out your feelings for each other,” Allura says.  

Keith’s tail angrily slithers around his abdomen at the words “call things off.” He clamps a hand over it, willing it to stop. 

“What should I do for my courting gesture back to him, Allura?”

“Your gestures toward each other should come from the heart and also reveal something about your true nature. So, think about what Lance did for you…”

“He killed something that is incredibly hard to kill. Why?” Keith asks.  

“Your mother challenged him. Indicated he may not be worthy of courting you,” Shiro says.  

Keith feels his new ears flatten back against his head.

“Cuuuuuute,” Allura squeals.

Keith lifts a middle finger in her direction.

“He wanted to show he was worthy. Strong enough. We are strong, big, powerful,” Shiro says.

“Alteans show strength in different ways,” Allura adds, “but he showed strength in the Galran way. For you.”

“So maybe I can do something Altean-y in return?” Keith grinds his teeth.

“Do what your heart tells you do to. What do you want to do for Lance?” Allura makes it sound so simple, but Keith has never been good at this stuff.

Keith thinks about Lance. His immediate impulse on seeing Lance earlier had been to go and help Lance, take care of his wounds, and make sure he was fed and happy. His mother had warned him off making a fuss about his injuries, something about insulting him as a warrior and man, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take care of Lance in other ways.

“I am going to give the heart to him,” Keith whispers. Shiro straightens up immediately.

The robeast’s heart is considered a rare delicacy. Robeasts are rarely killed in general and most of their bodies are not edible. Good for other means, like spells and potions and oils, but not food. However, the heart is a delicate, delicious piece of food, small and hard to get out cleanly from the rest of the body. It is also rumored to have healing powers, special ones that can nourish the soul. Keith had never believed in those rumors, but maybe he would now, for Lance.

“I think that is a wonderful choice,” Allura says, clasping her hands in front of her.

“And I will make it pretty for him.”

“Pretty?” Shiro asks.

“The table. I will put flowers and shit on it.”

“Flowers…and shit,” Allura repeats back at him.  

“Yeah. I mean, Alteans like pretty things. I want it to be pretty for Lance.”

“I mean, the Alteans do think we are brutes. If Lance had to prove his strength to you, then maybe you should prove that you are civilized,” Shiro muses.

“But Keith isn’t civilized…”

“Allura!” Keith yells.

“You use a 3-in-1 soap combo. One time I caught you eating chicken wings and throwing the bones on the ground when you were finished,” she continues.

“Kosmo eats them eventually! Now shut up and help me. Where do you find flowers and glitter and stuff?”

“Oh god this is going to be good,” Allura says to Shiro.

“Can we video tape it?” Shiro responds back.

Keith storms out of the room, just making it out in time so they don’t see his tail snaking out from under his shirt to thrash angrily.  

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Keith is in his element while he butchers the robeast. He works very carefully and methodically. Extracting the heart is delicate business, but he is good with blades. He spends an entire afternoon working, carefully separating out each part that would be used for medicines and elixirs. He is extra careful with Lance’s gift though, easing it into a special icebox to keep it fresh on the walk back to the kitchen.

Then, he starts the process of cooking the heart. The actual cooking is tricky. Some basic seasoning is fine, but it really needs a long time over low heat with near constant rotation. Heat too hot or for too long would ruin the meat.

But, again, Keith is in his element. He isn’t really a cook, not in a traditional sense, but he was always in charge of the meat when he and his mother cooked together. He knows how to cook a good piece of meat. He can do some basic sides too, throwing together some sautéed veggies and making a quick salad. The heart is rich enough that you would want light sides.  

Shiro is off to speak to his mom so only Allura remains, watching him painstakingly rotate the heart over the flame.   

“So, Lance…” she begins, breaking the silence.

“Yes, Lance.”

“Your future alpha?”

Keith freezes at the words, a delicious shiver reaching up his spine. “Hopefully.”

“What if you get to know him and don’t like him?”

“Look, I know it sounds crazy that I think I am in love with him. But when I looked at him, it is like I already knew him. Like, we knew each other in previous lives or alternate realities or something. He felt like home and safety and…life. I think we are meant to be together and me presenting was a part of that. Like, I needed to be his match.”

“That…is surprisingly romantic coming from you.”

“I can be romantic!”

“You have never even liked someone before.”

“I was waiting for Lance.”

“Oh god, I am going to be tired of hearing his name by the end of this, aren’t I?”

They are quiet for a moment while Keith sifts through some veggies.

“So, do you think Lance is…” Keith lets the words die in his throat.

“is?” Allura prompts.

“Big?”

Allura looks surprised and then narrows her eyes in amusement. “You horny little omega. But, yes.”

“How do you know?”

“He is an alpha and an early-presenting one at that. Trust me. You won’t be disappointed. And it will be like a firehouse going off inside you,” Allura grins wickedly, holding up an eggplant from the pile of vegetables.

Keith knows that she is being gross on purpose to try to get a reaction out of him or make him laugh, but his lizard brain only hears alpha and big and inside you and he instantly feels a little dampness between his legs.

Allura sniffs. “Oh gods Keith, you just got turned on because of an eggplant.”

Keith throws a cucumber at her head, furiously turning around to hide his blush.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~

While the meat rests, Keith gets started on the part of this gesture that requires he step firmly outside of his comfort zone.

He wants to set a nice table. He isn’t sure why this feels important, but it does. He wants to make something that Lance will like and he knows Lance likes art and beauty and aesthetics.

The problem is that this is far beyond anything Keith has ever even thought about, let alone attempted.

He grits his teeth and firmly tells a hovering Allura and newly returned Shiro not to help though. Lance had gone into the dangerous Galran wilderness and killed the aberration known as a robeast, by himself, almost barehanded.

For Keith.

The least Keith can do is set one pretty table, dammit.

Keith has eaten enough to know how to set the silverware. He uses some of the placemats that they already own as well. He chooses the lightest color they have, which turns out to be a blood red. He wishes that their aesthetic was a little lighter and brighter. These dark colors do not seem to suit his future Alpha at all.

He sets three spots, assuming Lance will want to invite his friends.

He carefully chooses some purple napkins, the lightest purple they have, and attempts to fold them neatly next to the place settings. The results are three shredded napkins in his now clawed hands and something that even Keith can admit looks like a mistake rather than a fold. But, no matter. Keith can make it work with the rest of the table. Maybe he can sell it as being “rustic.”

Then, he sifts through a supply closet and collects candles. He feels like Lance would like candles. Most of the candles they own are black though and Lance is so light and pretty and airy.

Keith grumbles, finally choosing orange candles, the pop of color catching his eye. A pop of color is a good thing, right? He feels like he has seen that on TV before.  

He smashes the candles down into long, gothic-styled candlesticks, shocked when the first two basically disintegrate in his hands. He frowns, more carefully working the next ones into the candlesticks.

He can’t decide how to position the candles though. One near each place-setting? In a row? Staggered? Should he do a design?

He tries different formations, stomping around, increasingly frustrated by nothing quite seeming right. He ends up trying to make a circular design with the candles, hoping it looks elegant or something.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Allura open her mouth to speak, but Shiro quickly jabs her into silence.  

Pleased with the choice of candles, he decides to work on the centerpiece. Every nice table needs a centerpiece. He has seen enough of them in his lifetime.

He has this perfect image in his head. A centerpiece that is a small tree and then draping tinsel over it. Maybe some lights and some flowers. Natural and beautiful. He had gone outside earlier and gathered real branches, whittling them down to attractive shapes. 

He quickly realizes his mistake when there is no base. The branches just lifelessly collapse in a bundle on the table. He tries to duct tape them together, but this doesn’t help much and, again, they uselessly slump to the table.  

He can practically feel the tension rise in the room as Allura clutches at Shiro’s arm.

Keith grinds his teeth, then storms through the castle until he finds a black box that looks shiny enough, probably, to work. He storms back, shoving the branches into the box.

They stand for a split second before sagging again.

Keith swipes his hand trying to catch them and, in doing so, crushes part of the branches and then yelps. He is instantly angry at himself for ruining something he meant as a gift to Lance. He puts a hand over his mouth, eyes darting over the branches, hoping that only one or two being a little ruined wouldn’t matter.

It is then that his tail darts out, knocking a candle off the table like the bastard that it is.

He hears a high-pitched noise and turns to see Shiro leaving the room, unable to hold back his laughter anymore.

Allura is struggling to keep a straight face, but she is doing better than Shiro.

“Keith, this is about what your heart feels. Express what you feel for Lance. It doesn’t matter if its perfect or not. What matters is that it comes from you,” she says kindly, voice only wobbling a little with laughter.  

He nods and turns back to the cursed box and branches. He stomps out of the room again to grab some towels and shoves them in the box and then dumps glue down on the towels.

The branches finally cooperate, at least standing up even if they are a little crooked.

Then, he lets his heart’s desire take over. He digs through the craft box a servant had given him, picking up anything that looked shiny or felt like Lance. Some glitter paint over the branches. Some fake mauve flowers glued to the ends of the sagging branches. He finds some gold tinsel and throws it over the branches, thinking and hoping that the lit candles would make the tinsel and glitter paint sparkle.

He steps back for a second.  Something is missing. A bit of flair. A moment of drama. He feels like Lance would like that.

He digs into the craft supplies one more time before pulling it out. The perfect exclamation point on his work.

A big, titanium blue feather. It is the only blue he has seen anywhere in the castle. It reminds him of Lance. Of course, Lance’s blue eyes are much prettier, but beggars can’t be choosers. He crams it down on top of the centerpiece, nodding at the height and drama that it adds. Another pop of color, Keith thinks to himself.

“What do you think?” he asks Allura.

She bites her lower lip, eyes trailing over the table. “If Lance is any kind of man, then he will love it,” she reassures him.  

Keith feels a blush of happiness, not even minding that his tail is all but wagging at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how will Lance react to Keith's masterpiece :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance receives Keith's offering and also a very special moment comes to pass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am feeling more like myself now so updates should come more frequently

Lance is basically bouncing in his seat, even Pidge’s firm hand on his thigh doing nothing to stop his nerves.

They had received a royal summons that Prince Keith had prepared an offering for him, a gift to prove himself worthy of entering a courtship with Lance.

It isn’t strictly necessary. Keith wasn’t challenged, not in the same way that Lance was. But, it makes Lance feel warm and fuzzy that the scowling love of his life wanted to make something for him. Keith even thought to include Pidge and Hunk, which Lance takes as a gesture of good will and inclusivity.

Hunk is more sympathetic than Pidge, patiently watching as Lance takes turns pacing and shaking in his seat.  

“Will I get to see him?” Lance finally breaks the silence.

“Maybe, but probably not. Technically, you have to accept the offering,” Pidge answers dismissively.  

“And then?”

“Then you officially enter courtship. So, it will be announced and then you have your first date.”

Lance can barely contain his happiness as he nods at the girl. “I’m glad we are doing it the right way and taking it slow. We are like star-crossed lovers or something. All of this is so romantic, isn’t it?”  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“All of this shit is so stupid.”

“Keith.”

“Mom.”

“It isn’t stupid. It is the way we do things.”

“Getting gifts for each other, fine. Why does our first date have to be _chaperoned_?”

“Because.”

“Because why.”

“Because I said so.”

“What do you think is going to happen?”

There is a long moment of silence where Keith sees, horrifyingly enough, a blush cross his mother’s face.

“You really think we would do _that_ on our first date!?”

“I am too young to be a grandma, Keith!”

“Lance is a gentleman. He would never…”

“Who said it is Lance I am worried about?”

Keith scowls at her.

“You’re telling me there is no way you would try to jump his bones? We all heard you moaning his name all week.”

“Nope. Don’t remember, didn’t happen.”

Krolia sighs and then walks across the room, putting a hand on her only son’s shoulder.

“Just don’t rush things, ok? Don’t see this as us keeping you apart from Lance for stupid reasons. This is where you will get to know Lance. Your father…your father and I courted, a little differently, but still. Those are some of my fondest memories. It is where we built the foundation for our love and our life together.”

Keith’s eyes are shiny at the mention of his dad and he nods solemnly at her words. The moment stretches just a second too long for both of their comfort zones though.   

“Damn, mom, when did you become a poet,” Keith breaks the silence.  

“Shut up,” Krolia answers, gently pushing him.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Oh, dear god. What is that?”

“Did someone make a mistake?”

“Ew, what if there are bugs on the branches?”

“Maybe kids were playing in here and we are in the wrong room?”

“Shut up you guys. Just give it a second.” Lance walks around the room, shouldering past Pidge and Hunk and taking in the somber, dark table, the pile of sticks jutting high as a centerpiece, covered in tape and looking like tinsel had been vomited on it. A random feather is stuck in the middle, half-drooped to the side.

Pidge starts giggling behind him. Hunk does a little better of a job holding in his amusement.  

“I mean, uh, wow, it is really something. Uh, it is…it is…” he stammers.

“It’s beautiful!” Lance proclaims.

“ _What_??” Pidge gasps.  

“Look at this pop of color with the candles…”

“Lance, we all took color theory for three years. This is not how you do a pop of color,” Pidge says.

“And the general aesthetic of purple and black…”

“When setting a table, you should uplift and light up and…” Pidge persists.

“And that is why he added the tinsel and glitter. So sparkly. Uplifting.”

“I seriously can’t tell if you are kidding or…” Pidge’s words are cut off by Hunk elbowing her.

“And the feather…” Lance reaches out and touches it.

“It reminds me of your eyes,” Hunk blurts out. Lance turns to him.

“I mean, I bet Keith thought it looked like your eyes.”

Lance’s face goes soft.

Pidge watches him, tugging on her glasses and thinking furiously. Lance doesn’t notice though. All he can think about is whether Keith really did like his eyes or not.

“Keith is a Galran Prince. That means he would never have been taught anything about color theory or decorating. We took years of aesthetics courses. I think he tried really hard on this, despite being outside his comfort zone,” Hunk says, still prepared to elbow Pidge out of the room if necessary.

Lance plucks the feather and one of the fake flowers out of the pile of branches and holds them to his chest, eyes shining in the candlelight.

Then, a door swings open and some Galran servants wheel in a meal of sorts. They start to place the dishes down before having to pause and then move the centerpiece out of the way. The centerpiece had taken up nearly the entire table and, though Lance wouldn’t say it out loud, blocked him from being able to see Hunk or Pidge.  

They take their seats and eagerly watch as a few basic sides are laid out on the newly empty table. The plate placed closest to Lance seems to be the main course though, a small hunk of meat that smelled good even to Pidge, the least impressed of them all.

“What is this?” Lance asks, poking at it.

“It is actually a robeast heart. I would assume that it is the one you caught and that it was cooked by Keith himself. It is a rare delicacy,” Hunk responds.  

“Not just a delicacy,” Pidge adds. “Probably a myth, but this specific meat is also culturally significant to the Galra. Eating it is supposedly eating life itself, whatever that means for you. Depending on the person, it is said to be able to cure cancer, increase your life force, increase your virility, heal your soul, or help you reach enlightenment. I mean, obviously a chunk of meat can’t…”

She is cut off, not by Hunk or his elbow this time, but rather by a primal growl coming from deep within Lance’s chest. It is a pleased rumble and not the types of sounds that Pidge knows an alpha can make if angry, but it still startles her into silence.  

Lance slaps a hand over his mouth.

“So, I am assuming Keith’s offering is accepted,” Hunk smiles at the alpha.  

“To be honest, he had me at the feather,” Lance says honestly while cutting the meat carefully.

Once divided into three small bits, they all cautiously try the meal Keith had created.  

“Wow. This is amazing. The sides are acceptable, but the heart is downright exquisite. So tender. Flavored just right. He got the heat and rotation perfect,” Hunk says. 

“I didn’t even know meat could taste this good. Is there anything Keith can’t do?” Lance sighs.  

Pidge snorts and takes a look around the table. “Well, I can name one thing at least, but…”

Lance and Hunk look at her expectantly.

“But I admit this heart is so amazing it makes me think maybe it can cure cancer and heal souls.”

Lance grins, a rush of affection rolling through him, for Pidge, for Hunk, for his life, and his luck, but especially for Keith. When they eventually leave the room, he clutches the feather and flower tightly to his chest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few communications later and a date is set. Lance is _finally_ going to be able to spend time with Keith. Lance is nervous, but his heart is brimming with excitement at the same time.

Adam, his special royal guard sent by his father, would accompany him. He knew that Keith’s own personal guard, Shiro, would be there as well. He doesn’t really like the idea of Shiro, a prime alpha, being near Keith as he senses some history, but he is assured when Hunk drops the words “like brothers” when describing that history.

They decide to meet at the head of the trail leading around the royal gardens. A walk through a garden path is a little tame for a first date, but Lance doesn’t mind. He didn’t even know the Galra _had_ gardens. Lance urges Adam to leave early, wanting to show up first. They end up having to wait nearly an hour, Adam sighing at his side. Lance fidgets with his light blue, sheer cape, wondering if it is too much for a casual walking date.

Then, Keith appears in the distance.

In many ways, he is different, physically, from the Keith Lance has always known, or at least seen on TV. But, the physical differences mean nothing. Lance knows that this is the same old Keith and that he would always be the same Keith no matter what he looks like. The alpha inside Lance is screaming as Keith approaches, appreciating his lightly armored clothing, what Lance assumes passes for casual if you are Galran, and the gentle silky bounce of his mullet.

Shiro is at his side, but right now all Lance sees is Keith and it seems like Keith feels the same. Those eyes are locked on his, pinning him into place, intense, but tender all the same.

Keith is happy to see him.

Keith is right in front of him.

Keith is looking at him expectantly.

Lance panics.

“So…” he starts, feeling his mouth drop open before he can stop himself, before his brain can catch up.

“Come here often?” he asks, winking and shooting finger guns at Keith.

Beside him, he can actually hear the slap from the strength of Adam’s facepalm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, fuck Voltron for making me write the sentence "the gentle silky bounce of his mullet"


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith have their first date

It takes all of Shiro’s training and self-control to avoid slapping a hand over his face like the Altean guard accompanying Prince Lance.

To be honest, Shiro is a little apprehensive about everything that is happening with Keith and his emotions right now. Lance hitting on Keith in such a cheesy, corny way isn’t exactly helping. Keith was never the type to care about love or flirting. That isn’t to say he is a cold person by any means. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and had a fiery personality that made being his personal guard quite fun. But, he wasn’t one to giggle about boys or girls. He never had a crush. Shiro never got to see him blushing or stammering in the presence of the numerous people who had tried to get past his walls over the years.

So, yeah. Shiro is a little wary of the Altean Prince swooping in and making Keith a blushy mess who thinks he is in love with someone he had never even spoken to properly.

It doesn’t help that Lance is the exact opposite of what Shiro thought Keith would end up with in terms of a partner. He always saw Keith ending up with someone like Acxa, an accomplished stone-cold bad ass Galra general, or James Griffin, honorable and one of the best pilots in the universe. Practical. Strong. Efficient. Similar to Keith.

Lance is more like a peacock.

Pretty, silly, showy. Shiro is pretty sure he is wearing make-up right now and a cape.   

That isn’t to say that Shiro doesn’t respect Lance. The Prince is accomplished in his own right and generally accepted to be a good guy who will eventually become a great leader. Shiro also isn’t blind. He knows Lance is attractive. Maybe too attractive though and knows it too. 

Lance is just really different from the type of person Shiro imagined would warm Keith’s heart one day. He can’t help but think that maybe the reason for Keith’s behavior is due to his late presentation. It is possible, Shiro suspects, that Keith is confusing the sudden rush of omega hormones for love, directed at the first alpha he saw.

Shiro sighs and tenses, waiting for how Keith will respond to such a corny, stupid line. He hopes he won’t react too harshly and offend the Altean Prince.

Keith is silent for a solid 30 seconds. Shiro can basically hear the gears churning in his head. Every second that passes leads to the atmosphere becoming more and more awkward. Lance’s hands droop awkwardly and his smile slips. Shiro can see the Altean guard, Adam he believes, standing up straighter. Then the silence is broken.

“No, I do not come here often. The training and duties of a Galran Prince usually take me elsewhere, either in the training fields or abroad. Unfortunately, I will not be a very good guide for us today as this will be one of the first times I walk the gardens.” Keith is completely serious, his face stoic.

Shiro exhales slowly and briefly makes eye contact with Adam. Adam has left professionalism behind and has a face somewhere between pain and amusement. Shiro smiles at him, noting how his glasses and Altean marks glint in the sun.

Lance seems thrown off for a split second, brows furrowing before that easy smile and mischievous glint in his eyes return. He steps forward, taking Keith by the hand. Keith stiffens and, in his confusion, tries to shake Lance’s hand at first. Lance rolls with it, shaking briefly before turning Keith’s hand over with a smile.

“Then we will have to discover what secrets the Galran Gardens hold together,” Lance says before leaning down and kissing Keith’s hand.

Keith gasps, softly, and Shiro can see a pink blush spreading across his face.

“Oh…yes, uh, oh…” he says eloquently, fumbling while looking down at the Altean Prince who is still holding his lips to Keith’s hand.

Shiro briefly wonders if a clone had replaced Keith at some point. Either way, he is not going to let Keith fall for Lance that quickly though. There is such a thing as being too easy to win over.  

Shiro steps forward. “The second sun will be coming out in a few hours. We should probably start the walk,” he says, breaking the moment. A necessary evil.

Keith immediately straightens back up and nods. Lance smiles and agrees. Shiro leads them through the gates, hoping that the majority of the awkwardness is behind them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“I must be a museum, because I am seeing a work of art right now.”

“This isn’t a museum, it is a garden. Though, I suppose some museums can have outside areas. The Galra do not have those. Most of our museums tend to be focused on historical occurrences, such as World Wars 1, 2, 3, 4, X, and Mauve. We also have a quite expansive military vehicle museum that I quite like spending time in. They have the variety of space crafts that we have created, including the first one powered by Quintessence alone in a process that converts water inside a propulsion engine. I am also a fan of the air duct museum that explores the history of air flow in various dwellings and spacecrafts. This is especially important due to the atmosphere on Daibazaal which…”

_Shut up shut up shut up_ runs through Shiro’s mind. The last hour had been dreadful. Lance is clearly trying to hit on Keith or get him to loosen up. Keith misses the point and, for some reason, remains in diplomat mode, repeating information like he is speaking to some foreign dignitary. They both seem nervous, with Keith tensing up and being too informal and detached while Lance seems to be running his mouth like he is at a bar picking up some pretty blonde. 

It is _painful_.

Shiro had fallen behind them along with Adam who seems to be on the same page as him. They occasionally make eye contact, smirking, cringing together as the boys struggle to find common ground. Shiro even covers for Adam once when Lance whips out “I’m new in town can you give me directions to your room?” and Keith answers seriously, giving extensive, actual directions back to the Castle and to his room after remarking that he knows Lance is new because he is Altean. Shiro is unable to stop a soft “oh my god” and Adam laughs loudly enough that both boys turn to look at them. Shiro quickly pretends that Adam is reacting to something he had said.   

Shiro isn’t sure how much more he can take of this. The date seems like a bust unless something changes soon and, from the growing frustration evident on Lance’s face, that change might come soon for better or worse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Oh dear god what is that?”

“That is a corpse flower. It grows in the shape of a rotting corpse and also smells like one. Isn’t it amazing?”

“Uh, yeah…amazing.”

“Don’t touch that!”

“Oh my god why.”

“It is a fire and smoke Tulip. It can kill you 8 different ways.”

“Jesus. What about this pointy cactus thing?”

“It is a deadly furnace fire poison deathray sting bulb. It is harmless.”

“Not sure I believe that.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Because everything the Galrans have is trying to kill you?”

Keith pauses. “Not everything.”

“Flowers are supposed to be pretty,” Lance says with a flourish of his hands.

“Well, maybe some flowers would rather be tough and fearsome,” Keith responds, his jaw setting in a way that Shiro had seen many times before.  

“Then maybe they should just be called weeds. This is a weed garden.”

“Are you insulting the Galran Gardens, my home, and my honor?”

“I’m only insulting your weeds.”

Keith’s ears flick backward.  

The look Shiro and Adam share then is decidedly more serious as the mood of the date turns from painfully awkward to tense.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Oh look an open field. Is anything trying to kill me here?”

“I’m not sure. It wouldn’t matter to me anyway because I can defend myself.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Nope. Just a fact. I can understand why someone weaker might find the Galran landscape intimidating.”

Lance stares at Keith, suddenly intense.  “You calling me weak?”

“I never said that.”

“You implied it.”

Keith shrugs with a smirk.

“I bet I can run across this field faster than you. Over to that tree right there,” Lance points. There is a giant tree, a quite old one, sitting on the shore of a large pond where Queen Krolia tried, in vain, to raise koi fish.  

“Excuse me?”

“What, afraid you will lose?”

Shiro is ready to step in and intervene when he sees Keith’s ears pin back.

“Shiro.” Keith’s voice stops him immediately. “Count to three.”

“What?”

“We go on three. Shiro, count to three.”

Shiro blinks, stunned that this is actually happening.

“Uh. 1. 2. 3.”

On the count of three, both boys take off. Shiro watches as they run, shockingly close to one another, Keith’s aggressive stride next to Lance’s light one. Shiro knows that Keith is very fast and he has always been agile compared to the average Galra. However, the fleet-footed Altean remains firmly by his side.

Adam snorts softly beside Shiro. Shiro feels a bizarre competitive edge rising in his chest, silently rooting Keith on. When they reach the tree, it seems to be a dead heat however.   

When they approach the two boys, they are already bickering over who won.

“I was clearly in the lead!” Lance yells, throwing his arms in the air.

“Like hell you were!” Keith responds, crossing his arms over his chest. “You saw it, didn’t you Shiro?”

“Adam, come on, back me up,” Lance pleads.

“It looked really close,” Adam hedges.

“We can just say you both won?” Shiro asks.

Both princes give him matching offended looks.

“Fine. Fine. I bet I can…I bet I can…skip a rock better than you.” Lance points to the water where some flat rocks lay near the shore.

“Skip rocks? Really? Are you 12 years old?” Keith asks.

“It’s ok to back out if you know you will lose.”

Keith stands there for a solid 30 seconds before storming down to the water, grabbing rocks.

They agree that both get three tries. It doesn’t matter though because the Altean has a clear edge this time. Not even Shiro can deny it. Adam smirks beside him as one of Lance’s rocks somehow skips clear across the pond and onto the land on the other side. Shiro grits his teeth, silently cheering on the doomed Keith. 

Afterward, Lance is not being a graceful winner as much as Keith is not being a good loser.

 “Skipping rocks is dumb anyway. I bet I can climb this tree faster than you,” Keith taunts.

“Oh come on, you don’t want to lose more than once today, do you?”

“Scared?”

“Never, mullet. Adam, count to three.”

He does, an intense look on his handsome face as he watches the boys throw themselves at the tree.

Shiro tenses, more invested than he should be. They are fairly evenly matched here as well. Keith had spent his entire life climbing and rambling around the country side though and he also has the added advantage of claws. He gets to the top of the tree shockingly fast and a body length ahead of Lance.

It is Shiro’s turn to smirk.  

“You cheated!” he hears Lance scream.

“How can you cheat at climbing a tree?”

“I don’t know but you did!”

They scoot down the tree, still bickering every inch of the way.

Once at the bottom, they stand face-to-face, fire in their eyes.

“Prince Lance, perhaps we should…”

“Adam, not now. I’m busy.”

“Keith…”

Keith bares his teeth toward Shiro.

“Wanna wrestle?” Lance asks, puffing out his chest.   

“Yes,” Keith says, cracking his knuckles.

Adam and Shiro share a frantic look, wondering what King Alfor and Queen Krolia would say if their sons returned with bruises, both to their bodies and egos.

“Wouldn’t it be better to spar in an official setting?” Shiro says, desperately.

“Yes, I am sure this beautiful castle has great training arenas, does it not, Prince Keith?” Adam adds.

Keith thinks for a moment and then nods. “Yes. We have any type of training simulation you can imagine. Want to go…tomorrow? Settle this once and for all through traditional combat?”

“You got it,” Lance answers, a determined look on his face.  

They make their way back after this, not going through what Lance now calls the Weed Garden but rather a quicker way. On the way, the boys chat about the different types of training decks the Galra have and what they should use for their sparring session. When they reach the Castle gates, Lance stops, ready to go back to his separate living quarters.  

“You are lucky. You get one more day before I completely embarrass you,” he says as he walks away.   

“You are insufferable. I will love wiping that look off your face,” Keith calls after him.

When they part, Shiro bows quickly at Adam, thinking it very likely that, in the morning, Adam and Lance would be on their way back to Altea.

When they step inside, Keith shuts the door behind him and then collapses backward on it. He puts his hands over his face and lets out a long, shuddering breath.  

Shiro feels a pang of sorrow. He knows that Keith was looking forward to this so much. He steps forward, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Keith. It’s ok. Sometimes things don’t work out and…”

“I’m gonna marry that man.”

“I know and…wait, what?”

“Did you see how fast he ran across that field? Did you see how far he skipped that rock? And he agreed to a second date. We have a second date! Did you hear me ask him on a second date and he said yes?”

“Uh,” Shiro responds, temporarily speechless.

“I haven’t had that much fun in years. Shiro…”

Keith uncovers his face then and it is soft, gentle, a face that Shiro has pretty much never seen on Keith.    
Shiro straightens up, worry now rising to the forefront of his emotions, hoping that the Altean Prince is being true and not playing with something as precious as Keith’s heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if anyone expected this to be actually romantic


	8. Cinder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are revealed for Keith and Lance during a sparring match that is equal parts awkward and amazing for both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS SEMESTER IS FINALLY ABOUT FINISHED AND I HAVE A 2.75 GPA I KNOW THAT SUCKS BUT ITS PASSING BITCHES!

“Lean back…that’s it. Clear your mind and clench your fist…I said clear your mind!”

“Pidge, I have a lot on my mind right now I just…”

“CLEAR, Lance.”

He sighs and tries for his friend.

“Good. Now, imagine your dad…Good. Now imagine Allura.”

“What the hell…”

“Just do it.”

Lance does.

“Now imagine Keith.”

Keith’s confused, furrowed brow pops into his head. Lance sighs, leaning backward and relaxing.

“Hmmm,” Pidge says, fingers tracing some values popping all over the place on a screen, his heart beat, his blood pressure, his brain waves, and a bunch of other stuff he probably wouldn’t understand.

Lance starts pulling the wires off his body. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“A sample of your blood shows no signs of drugs. I personally checked you for signs of magic and there are none. Your vitals are strange. You react like you are bonded to Keith, but you aren’t. The chemical bond is clearly not there,” she responds, still pouring over the sheets.

“Fated mates,” Hunk whispers from beside Lance.

“Those don’t exist…ah hell. Maybe they do?”

Lance grins triumphantly. Pidge had been trying to find a scientific or biology-based answer for his feelings toward Keith for the entire time they had been in Daibazaal. It just feels so natural to Lance though, that in Keith’s eyes he had found his partner for life. Some things can’t be explained by science. He hopes Keith feels the same way.

Lance’s smile falls abruptly.

“What’s up, buddy?” Hunk asks, attuned to his moods after years of being best friends.

Lance is silent for a moment and then speaks.

“I think I made Keith uncomfortable during our date.”

Adam snorts at this despite sitting in the back of the room and pretending not to pay attention while texting someone on his phone.

“What do you mean?” Pidge asks.

“He just seemed uncomfortable when I tried to talk to him.”

“You weren’t talking to him. You were flirting and it was embarrassing!” Adam yells, giving up on pretending not to listen.

“My flirting is great, thank you very much.”

“Oh god no, Lance.” Hunk looks horrified.

“Please tell me you didn’t use your usual lines on Prince Keith of the Galra,” Pidge asks, monotone.

Lance fidgets. “I mean, he just didn’t seem receptive. I wonder if he is upset about me losing control when he presented. Like, what if he thinks I can’t control myself.”

Adam gets up now, somehow teleporting to be right next to them. “Firstly, if you wanted to show him you can control yourself hitting on him using cheap pick up lines was not the way to do it. Secondly, I don’t think he even got that you were hitting on him…”

“Really?” Lance asks.

“That makes sense. Pidge and I have been doing some research…don’t look at me like that. We need to vet the guy that our best friend is dating! Keith has had a very regimented life,” Hunk responds.

“What do you mean?” Lance asks.

“Krolia was challenged for the throne when she married a human. She held onto it, but having a half-human prince is not something that all Galra accept, not entirely. So Keith has had to be the perfect Prince. He doesn’t have a lot of friends outside of Shiro. He has seriously no blemishes on his record, unlike you,” Pidge answers.

“The fountain incident…” Adam grins.

“That was a misunderstanding!” Lance shoots back.

“Anyway, those videos you made fun of before…those were likely attempts to legitimatize Keith and his right to his position. I mean, looking at his background, it seems like it has been a lot of work, not a lot of play. Not a lot of chances to socialize or date,” Pidge continues.  

Lance grips the edge of his bed tightly. “That doesn’t sound like a great childhood.”

“I just wouldn’t take it personally if he seemed a little cold or didn’t know how to return your godawful embarrassing flirting,” Hunk says.  

“Hey!”

“I will say,” Adam says with a smirk. “He loosened up a lot when you started challenging him to climb trees and stuff.”

“That makes sense. He is athletic and outdoorsy. That is probably more of his comfort zone than a garden walk,” Hunk says.  

“Jesus, how much research did you two do?” Lance asks.  

“Like we said, we have to make sure this Keith is worthy of you.” Hunk shrugs.

“He is. I promise he is. And it’s my job to prove to him that I’m worthy of him too.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Keith and Shiro have a lengthy conversation before his second date with Lance about etiquette and manners. Keeping his competitiveness in stride and not hurting Lance. That the second date is just a friendly sparring match between two princes, friendly and casual and fun. Shiro warns him of the pride of alphas and how this should be, above all, a light date, not an actual death match or something.

Keith registers this on one level, but then Lance steps into the sparring circle with a too tight borrowed Marmora suit on and winks at him and the Galra in Keith explodes. He would rather _die_ than let Lance pin him. Also, no one should look that good in black spandex blend.

Keith himself is wearing a variation of the Marmora suit, one that is a shirt and leggings combo though. He feels like he can breathe in it more though he feels oddly out of breath watching Lance make his way over to him.

“Ready to be humiliated in front of all your people?” Lance asks cockily.  

It is a slight exaggeration, but only slight. Word had gotten around about the sparring match and somehow the training arena is packed with people. Of course, all of them are pretending to be looking elsewhere or doing something else, but everyone knows that everyone is there to watch the two young princes.

“No…are you ready…to be humiliated…in front of your people?” Keith says, seeing the Prince’s friends and guard standing on the side of the ring. Keith cringes to himself. He is self-aware enough to know that he isn’t as smooth as the Altean Prince, but by god, he is trying. Lance takes it in stride and grins at him, making a show of stretching. Keith lets his gaze linger for just a moment before turning around, happening to make eye contact with Shiro.

Shiro gives him a nerdy thumbs up and Keith smiles back, dumbly, before turning around and seeing Lance get into position.

Lance’s eyes burn into his and there is that little smirk playing on his lips again. Keith fumbles with his hands for just a second, suddenly blushing. Then Lance attacks and Keith slips into familiar territory. He basically left the womb sparring so nothing new is happening here despite it being Lance. Keith barely processes as Lance grapples him, approaching with way too open of a stance, and Keith easily pivots and hip throws Lance to the ground.

In a panic, he starts to apologize, but Lance leaps back up, eyes burning and approaches again. This time, there is no smirk on his face and he seems much more serious.  

A moment later, and Keith is one arm tossing Lance over his head, watching the Altean Prince slam against the ground.

See, Lance isn’t bad. He is deadly strong and fast. It is really an unfair situation for him though. They are doing close combat which is Keith’s forte. If they used the actual arena with a much larger space, Lance would be at an advantage with his strategic skills. It is also the typical Galran sand that feels like home to Keith, but he can tell the Altean is struggling a bit to find his footing. He also knows Lance is a long-range sharpshooter and they chose sparring without weapons. 

So, Keith understands completely that this is unfair and things are tilted in his favor.

That doesn’t stop him from pile driving Lance to the floor a moment later.

He can imagine Shiro’s voice in his mind screaming at him to let Lance win at least once. Just one time.

But as he considers taking a dive, he just can’t. It isn’t in his blood.

He can tell Lance is frustrated, maybe even angry. His heels dig into the sand and he grits his teeth, the smirk completely gone. Keith approaches again, already seeing an opening. He would attack, Lance would defend, leaving an opening on his right side. A kick, then a toss.

However, when Lance defends the first strike, his eyes flash blue. Not his normal (deep, oceanic, gorgeous, sapphire) blue, but a bright spark of blue light instead. Then, as he grips Lance’s arms, he feels something strange. A flicker of energy. A flicker of light. Then, a spark and Keith finds himself on his back, looking up at Lance who had tossed him down.

Panic spreads across Lance’s face as he backs up immediately.  

“Did you just…did you just use magic?” Keith squeaks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lance knows Keith is amazing. He knows that he has spent his entire life practicing just this type of combat, opposed to Lance who spent just as much time practicing his shot, his quintessence manipulation, and strategy in large battles. He gets it, but it doesn’t stop his ego from being bruised by Keith tossing him around like a rag doll for the first half hour of their sparring match.

So, he calls upon his magic, his druidic abilities, just to give himself an edge, just once.

He immediately regrets it.  

Many countries and kingdoms, including the Galra, consider the Altean ability to manipulative quintessence at best a silly magic trick or cheating, and at worst a perversion of nature. It is an unfair prejudice in Lance’s opinion, but he had already planned on keeping his abilities under wrap until Keith was more comfortable with him.

In a moment of anger, he had used his magic though and, worse, used it _on_ Keith. Used it to toss him to the ground where he currently lay, mouth open wide.

Lance cringes. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have. I…”

“That was…awesome! I have never seen an Altean do that up close!” Keith exclaims.

Lance blinks. “Really? So you don’t think it is cheating or…cowardly?”

Keith cocks his head to the side. “What? Who says that? Why wouldn’t you use the skills that you have to your advantage?” Keith seems genuinely confused and relief spreads over Lance. He should have known. Keith isn’t the type to be judgmental or whisper in the dark about this stuff.

“Do it again. I want to see if I can defend against it,” Keith says, springing to his feet.

Things get more interesting after that. Keith has to move quickly to avoid Lance using a blast of magic to give him an edge. They are evenly matched at this point, neither able to get the drop on the other. They clash again and again, neither of them willing to be pinned.  

They are grappling again, Keith careful to keep his footing firm so Lance can’t magic him and Lance defending himself against Keith’s brute strength. Their faces are close, so close that he can almost feel Keith’s breath on his face.

“Hey Keith,” Lance whispers, suddenly remembering the other advantage that he has.  

“What?”

“Do you know how beautiful you are?”

Keith falters for just a second. One second.

And finds himself on the ground again with a smirking Lance above him.

Keith gasps. “Cheater!”

“Didn’t you just say that you should use the skills you have at your disposal? I can’t help how smooth I am…” Lance grins down at him.

Keith chucks a handful of sand at Lance and Lance pounces on him, trying to pin his arms to the ground. Keith shudders underneath him as Lance’s fingers graze his side.

“Is the great Keith, Prince of the Galra…ticklish?”

“Lance, no!” Keith cries out.

“Lance, yes!”

Lance tickles his sides and Keith curls in on himself, laughing helplessly. Lance is in the middle of thinking just how much he would die for the giggling Galran Prince underneath him when he feels something weird on Keith’s abdomen. Something that shouldn’t be there.

“Tape? What is this, Keith? Do you have a bad back?”

Keith immediately goes silent, horror crossing his face. “It’s nothing!”

Lance had already pulled up Keith’s shirt just a bit though and sees something he doesn’t expect. Taped around Keith’s (muscular, sinfully beautiful) abdomen is a tail. A tail struggling against its bonds.

“You have a tail?” Lance screeches.

 “I…I didn’t want you to find out yet.” Keith is red, eyes downcast.

“Why not? Tails are awesome! Can I see it?”  

Keith looks at him apprehensively before pulling the tape off. The tail emerges, flipping and twisting and clearly happy to be freed. Keith puts his hands over his face.

“Its so cute,” Lance says breathlessly.

“No it isn’t! I can’t control it. I hate it.”  

The tail practically wags in happiness, then, moving on its own accord, darts out and wraps around Lance’s midsection.

“Oh no,” Keith says, blushing wildly.

The tail twists around Lance, pulling him closer. It is a strange sensation to have a tail basically hugging you.  

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how to control it yet.”

“I think he likes me,” Lance says, reaching down to rest a hand across the tail.

“You don’t think its weird?”

“No. Were you hiding it for me? Keith, don’t do that for my sake. The tail is a part of you…Hey. I have even heard that some ancient Galra warriors used to use their tails like a fifth limb during battles. Oh my god. Think of the possibilities. I wonder if you could train it to wield a knife. That would be so cool!”

“It would?”

“Yeah!”

Keith nods, looking down at his misbehaving body part still hugging closely to Lance’s body.

“Besides…a tail isn’t going to save you,” Lance continues.  

“Save me?”

“From me,” Lance says, grinning and diving back in to tickle him.

Keith cries out, squirming, forgetting for at least a moment that everyone is probably still watching them and that this would be the gossip of the entire region by tomorrow.

For a moment, everything is perfect. They are laughing. They are close. They are flirting and both are reciprocating. They are having fun. Most of the awkwardness seems to have faded. Dirty secrets are out in the open in the form of magic and a tail. Everything is good.  

Everything is good for about 30 seconds.

Then, Lance accidentally and reflexively grips the base of Keith’s tail.

It’s like lightning shoots through Keith in an instant and he opens his mouth to make a noise that Lance has only heard in the pornos he used to sneakily watch late at night. Something between a keen and a moan.

Lance immediately freezes and he can practically feel his eyes dilate. Suddenly, the atmosphere is heady and heavy with…something.

Lance swallows and everything in him is screaming with the instinct to take this further. He is suddenly painfully aware of the situation. He is on top of Keith, an omega, straddling him. His hands are touching his bare skin, grazing across his body. Keith’s tail is still pulling him closer, pulling him into Keith’s body.

What seemed so innocent a moment before suddenly becomes an ordeal, something that could spiral out of control in front of a 100 random Galra and their closest friends and confidantes.  

Lance remembers how he lost control in front of Keith that first time and stands quickly, running his hands through his hair and turning away.

“Wow, look at the time, we have been here for a while. You probably want to shower, right?”

“Uh…” Keith answers behind him.

“Yes, a shower seems nice right now. Yes. I had a good time talk soon.” Then Lance power walks out, Adam, Pidge, and Hunk close on his heels.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Keith spends a few hours in agony thinking that he had offended the Altean Prince. Then, he receives word from a smirking Adam that Lance had gone into an early rut and that, though desperate to see Keith, it would be a few days before that would be advisable.

If Keith went to bed later that night pleased and thinking of Lance somewhere down in the commons, sweating in his bed and crying out for Keith, well, no one has to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/MidNigh29712110)
> 
> I started a twitter and I will be using it more now that it is summer. I have like, 800 fic ideas but I tend to be better at thinking of the idea rather than what the entire fic will look like so I may use it to brainstorm or take fic suggestions or answer questions OR just reblog Voltron stuff. Come be my friend!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, its a dance chapter! Also, Lance gets Keith in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some links to looks that I imagine are similar to what Lance and Keith are wearing from 33-ko and gravastellar, both linked of course!
> 
> <https://33-ko.tumblr.com/post/168556805374/altean-prince-lance>
> 
> <https://gravastellar.tumblr.com/post/183072712392/klance-au-month-day-2-galtean-lance-not-liking>
> 
> Then, when I mean a black suit for Keith I literally mean this (Eugene Lee)
> 
> <https://twitter.com/_unagidon/status/1006655187660955648>

Dear Lance

I hope your rut is ok.

~~Love~~ ~~Yours Truly~~ ~~Affectionately Yours~~ ~~Best~~ ~~Wishes~~

Speak to you soon

Keith

Dearest Keith

Your letter made my day. I was so happy the second I ~~smelled that enticing, sumptuous, delicious scent on your letter~~ saw the letter with your seal and knew that ~~you want me too~~ you had written to me. It is unfortunate timing especially since I ~~yearn to be near you and your tight body~~ have been enjoying spending time with you so much. I have been thinking about ~~how perfect you are and how much I just want to pin you down and~~ the beautiful purple of your eyes and your dimples when you smile to help me get through this ~~soul-crushing body burning up from the inside~~ lonely time. There is nothing more that I want then to ~~feel you against my body~~ spend more time getting to know ~~every part, every inch, every bit of~~ you. I hear that Queen Krolia is throwing a ball in the upcoming week. I ~~will literally die if I don’t get to see you~~ should be ready ~~to make sweet love~~ to appear in public again by that time. I hope that I may attend-my friend Hunk is helping with the food and he makes the best, most delicious, ~~plump, wet, juicy, dripping~~ food ever. I look forward to ~~touching any part of you or just getting to look at you I don’t even care right now~~ dancing with you.

~~Love~~ ~~Yours Desperately~~ ~~oh god please I need you~~ ~~Best Wishes~~

Yours Truly,

Lance

 

Lance’s rut is the worst of his life, no two ways about it. He feels like he is literally dying during most of it, even breaking and requesting some painkillers and sedatives which is usually unnecessary for Lance.

Some part of him screams that it is because he is away from his mate, which is impossible because Keith isn’t his mate yet, but he can’t explain the excruciating pain in any other way.

He clings desperately to Keith’s letter, holding it to his face and smelling deeply. Though Keith is a man of few words, he was still thinking about Lance during this time. Maybe even worried. His scent felt a little concerned. He tries to compose a letter back and eventually sends the best version he can muster between excruciating waves of pain and pleasure.

He is desperate to go to the ball that Queen Krolia is throwing. It is a night of dancing followed by a Moon Ceremony. He wouldn’t be able to attend the ceremony as it was a Galran spiritual one of sorts, but he is invited to  the ball. He likes balls in general, but he is mostly desperate to see Keith again. Everything is just so right and so exciting with the other prince. He keeps Lance on his toes and makes him laugh and is so adorable for being an over six-foot-tall Galra Hybrid who could eviscerate him in a split second if he wanted to.

Thankfully, his rut does fully pass in time for him to attend. He eagerly passes the tests, both blood and scent, to be allowed to leave his quarters and then demands everyone help him prepare. He has to look perfect for this night. The goal is to make sure that Keith looks nowhere else but at him for the entire night.

He only brought one dress suit to Daibazaal, but it is his best one. It is various shades of blue, white, and silver, shiny in all the proper ways, a flowing half-cape, half-wrap sewn specifically for his measurements that show off his waist and provide movement when he dances.

He also spends time fixing his hair, combing and slicking it back. His long-suffering friends provide company during the process.  

“I’m going to dance with him you guys. Dance with him!”

“Awwwww!” Hunk says.

“You’ve danced with plenty of people before,” Pidge mutters.  

“But not KEITH. And Keith in nice clothes. And a Keith that returns my feelings.”

“How do you know that?” Pidge asks.

“Look at the letter he sent me during my rut. I will keep it forever.”

Pidge looks at the sheet of paper. “I hope your rut is ok? Really?”

“Isn’t it romantic?”

“No, not really,” she answers.

“This is romantic for Keith,” Lance defends him.

“I mean, it does smell affectionate…” Hunk says.

“See!”

“And he shouldn’t have written you at all…it is a bit forward…” Hunk says.

“See!!!!” Lance basically swoons, falling backwards onto his bed though careful not to mess up his hair.

“You guys, I’m in love. Like, for real. I found my prince.”

Pidge shakes her head, but he can see her smiling anyway.

He adds a hint of eyeliner and a quick spritz of gold glitter scentless body spray and then steps back. He  looks amazing for a regular ball, but this isn’t a regular ball. This is courting.

With great timing, Adam knocks on the door and enters the room, a package in his hands.

   
“I couldn’t find much. But I think it will be enough,” he says, handing the package to Lance. Lance had sent him on a special mission and he eagerly opens the package to see his choices.

There are exactly three pieces of red jewelry in the box, the final touch that Lance wants for his look. Two bracelets that dangle and move when he moves his hands. Then, a chained earring that goes through the piercing at the top of his ear and then cascades down to his lower ear.

It will have to do. He puts a simple silver earring in his other ear to even things out and then feels pleased. He is himself, but with little touches of Keith thrown in to show everyone exactly who Lance is courting.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lance quickly learns that a Galran ball is different from an Altean one. There is dancing, but it is much more sedate and serious. Most people wear either armor or plain suits. The decorations are minimal to non-existent. He feels a bit silly wearing his fanciest, showiest dress suit, one that has glitter and shine and flowing silk fabrics.

He can tell people are whispering about him behind his back, but it doesn’t matter. He is only here for one reason. He greets Queen Krolia, genuinely and warmly. He feels a new emotion toward her, one that is strangely protective even though that is laughable due to her being an Alpha Queen. He supposes it comes with the territory of loving her son though.

Then he seeks out Keith, a frustrating process due to the tons of different Galra scents around him. He pushes through the crowd, seeking out that beautiful smell that he can barely describe with words, perhaps a feeling more than an actual smell, of love and life and soul.

There is finally a part in the crowd and Keith’s familiar mullet pops into view. His back is toward Lance, giving the Altean prince a moment to check him out without being noticed. He is surprised to find Keith wearing a plain black suit. Though, plain perhaps doesn’t describe how beautiful he looks in it. There is little more that can look better than a well-fitted, high quality black suit hugging every curve of Keith’s body. It is military inspired with some gold buttons on his cuffs and what looks like subtle gold details elsewhere as well.

Before he has more time to examine Keith, he realizes, with a flurry of motion, that Keith has left his tail out. Warmth spreads over Lance as the tail wags and then twitches toward him. Keith stiffens and then turns around, eyes wide and mouth dropping as he sees Lance.

Then Lance sees it.

A blue silk scarf wrapped around his prince’s neck.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Keith is even more uncomfortable than usual at his mother’s ball. They aren’t his thing anyway, but they especially aren’t his thing after publicly entering a courtship with an Altean and also maybe half-humping him in public during a sparring match.

It is also his first time being in public in his full Galra transformation, ears and everything. He can feel whispers around him and fights against snarling at those who still challenge him from the shadows.

He isn’t even entirely sure Lance will show up until he feels a strange tugging at his mid-section. His stupid tail is excited and that can only mean one thing.

Keith whirls around to see Lance looking no less than divine. He is all flowing fabric and light colors and shining beauty. He is not only the most beautiful person in the castle, but probably in the world. Keith notices the red jewelry and blushes at it.   

He reaches up to mindlessly stroke his blue scarf, thankful he had decided to wear it now.

Lance is at his side in a moment, Keith still too breathless to say a word even when Lance greets him.

“I’m glad, by the way, that you let Fluffy stay out,” Lance says.

“Flu…Fluffy?”

“I named your tail.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Fluffy, what do you think?”

His asshole tail wraps around Lance’s hand. Lance smirks. “See?”

“I’ll kill you if you call it Fluffy again.”

The tail wraps even tighter around Lance’s hand, causing him to laugh loudly.

The music changes then and a lighter song comes on. Lance looks up and then back at Keith.

“Would you do me the honor of dancing with me, Prince Keith?” He says, holding out a hand.

“Yes, Prince Lance,” Keith responds, taking his hand and ignoring the swish of his tail.  

Lance leads Keith out on the dance floor where he hesitates, leaving his body language ambiguous. Keith is not usually observant, but he understands that Lance is debating whether he should lead, which he is probably more used to, or if he should let Keith lead, which is more normal for this being Keith’s home. He can practically see the wheels churning between different points of etiquette in Lance’s mind as he lifts and drops his arms from lead to follow positions.   

Keith smiles and bows, clearly positioning himself to follow. He assumes that Lance feels more comfortable leading and, to be honest, Keith can do both but dislikes both so he is fine with that choice.

It is all the encouragement Lance needs to take ahold of Keith and start leading him across the room.

Keith is not wrong about his analysis of Lance’s skills. He is a great dancer, firm and confident in his leading, but still thoughtful of his partner. He starts off slow, feeling out how comfortable Keith is. When Keith matches his every step, gripping Lance tightly and smiling at him, Lance moves faster across the dance floor, moving in a more complicated manner, spinning Keith around and kick stepping as he goes.

Keith, again, matches him step for step, thankful for all of the painful dance lessons he had growing up.

Then, Lance dips him, a firm hand on the small of his back, and Keith laughs, genuinely having fun, his tail wagging in delight.

“I’m surprised by how good you are at this,” Lance remarks.

“What does that mean?”

“Just dancing doesn’t seem like a Galran Prince type of thing.”

“Well, Mom knew I would need it in diplomatic situations so she made me take a lot of lessons.”

“How much did you bitch about having to take those lessons?”

“Not much. I mean, it is my job to know how to do these things.”

There is a moment of silence as Lance twirls him, a thoughtful look on his face.

“So, tell me about little rebellious teenager Keith.”

“I…I was never much of a rebel.”

“Don’t hold back. What is the most trouble you have ever been in?”

“What?”

“I mean, like, did you stay out all night one time or lie or go on a date behind your mom’s back or get drunk…”

Keith shook his head. “No. None of that.”

“Nothing?!”

“One time when I was a kid I accidentally broke one of her vase’s.”

“How old were you?”

“4, or 5?”

“That doesn’t count! Come on, you have to have messed up somewhere. Downloaded porn. Smoked a joint. Sneaked out and gambled. Offended some foreign dignitary.”

“I do have a bad temper, but that is expected of the Galra. Mom trained me from a very early age to not show that temper against other people who aren’t Galra. I was taught how to control it early in life.”

Lance huffs.

“I don’t know what you want me to say!” Keith exclaims.

“Didn’t you ever want to act out?”

“Well…sure, but…”

“But?”

“Some Galra don’t view me as legitimate because I am only half. Non-Galra don’t view me as legitimate because they don’t like Galra, even half-breeds. I’ve had to balance my entire life between being too Galra, not Galra enough, intimidating enough to scare other Galra, approachable enough for foreigners. It’s hard. You know. I can’t give anyone a reason to doubt me when they are looking for reasons already due to who I am.”

Lance is silent for a few passes. “Thank you for opening up to me about that.  Keith, you are amazing though. Anyone is a moron if they doubt your abilities or don’t see how special you are.”

“It’s a hard fear to shake.”

“Do you ever feel like you missed out on anything?”

“No? Yes? I don’t know. My life hasn’t been normal, but I did what I had to do. It’s complicated.”

“It is…but it’s never too late.” Lance smirks at him. “How bout we rebel right now?”

“What?”

“Come on. You don’t want to be here. I just want to be with you. Let’s sneak out.”

“My mom is here!”

“Yeah, so? Does she stare at you throughout every ball?”

“No, but…”

“Let’s have some fun. Follow my lead.”

Lance pulls Keith over, dragging him to the refreshments table. He looks around, scoping out possible exits.  

Keith feels a nervous energy bubbling in his stomach. It’s true that he had been a good son, rarely getting in trouble, rarely letting his bad temper bubble over at least in ways that others could see, rarely acting out. Sneaking out of a diplomatic ball…he couldn’t.

Or could he?

 “Lance,” He whispers, giddily, heart suddenly racing. “There is a servant’s entrance behind that column. If we are fast, maybe people won’t see us.”

Lance grins at him and then plays it cool, casually looking around the room as he leads Keith over to the column.

Then, he is shoving Keith through the door. Keith takes off, running, giggling the entire time with Lance at his heels. He runs, runs, runs until they are outside and close to what both of them affectionately call the “weed garden” now.

Keith collapses to the ground, still laughing as Lance slings his arms around him and falls next to him.

“See, isn’t this so much better than that stuffy, stupid ball?”

“My mom is going to kill me!” 

“Shhhh, she will never know.”

Then Lance leans back, looking up at the sky.

“The sky here is so different from Altea.”

“Uglier?” Keith knows Altea is known for its beauty, natural and otherwise.

“No, just different. This looks like a volcano except in the sky. It’s cool.”

Familiar reds and blacks streak the Galran sky. Keith has always thought they were intimidating even though it is his home.  

“You guys don’t have many stars…” Lance says.

“No. Sorry. But, we do have some weird lights…”

“Like aurora borealis?”

“Yes, but more purple. Look.” Keith points upward where swirls of purple smatter across part of the sky.

“That red and blue star…what are those?”

“Parts of the light system. I don’t think they are technically stars. Shiro always told me that they were star-crossed lovers who were wrongfully forced to be apart from one other in life who died and found each other afterward. Their souls became enshrined in the sky for all time.”

“That’s sad.”

Keith shrugs. “Not everyone gets a happy ending.”

“You don’t get enshrined in the sky for no reason. That means your soul is still alive, waiting to be reincarnated and for things to be made right. Maybe those two souls are coming together, right now, old friends discovering themselves again.”

It’s silly and Keith doesn’t believe in that stuff anymore. But, still, his heart flutters and he notices how close Lance is, how good it feels for his tail to be wrapped around him. They are leaned back on the ground, arms splayed behind them, and if he leans just a bit further to the side it is like Lance’s arm is around him.  

“Keith…have you ever been kissed?” Lance whispers.

Keith shakes his head. He hadn’t and furthermore he had never wanted to kiss someone before, not really, especially compared with how he feels looking into Lance’s eyes right now.

Lance leans closer.

Keith licks his lips.

“Never…?”

Keith nods, staring at Lance’s lips.

Lance slowly leans closer. Keith doesn’t pull away, lifting his head a bit, lips parted, letting Lance cage him in with an arm while he presses closer and closer.

He can feel Lance’s breath on his lips when there is a sharp “KEITH!” from behind them.

They jerk apart, looking back to see an angry Shiro staring at them.

“You are needed for the Moon Ceremony, Prince Keith,” he says, eyes darting between the two of them.

Keith nods, standing up quickly with an apologetic look at Lance. Lance stands as well, pouting for a moment before smiling.

“Until next time, Prince Keith?” he says, tenderly.

“Yes,” Keith answers. He takes two steps toward Shiro and then stops. It’s true he has been the perfect son, the perfect prince, always putting the needs of his people first.

But he doesn’t always have to do that. He is only human.

Before he can lose his nerve, he turns abruptly, stepping back toward Lance and yanking him close, pressing his lips against Lance’s.

Lance is so startled he barely reacts, eyes wide. Keith can smell him though, a rush of pleased alpha pheromones flooding the area.

“Until next time, Prince Lance,” he says, smiling and then practically running past Shiro back to the Ceremony.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lance feels like he has been hit by lightning. His lips are on fire with Keith’s lingering touch. He almost feels like he could go into rut again.

He has never felt this way before, this light, this happy, this giddy with love. He can barely stand it as he makes his way back to his quarters. He has a hand to his lips the entire time, desperate to trace the feeling and commit it to his memory. He is grinning like a moron and barely feels the ground beneath his feet as he practically floats through the air.

His Keith.

His good little prince.

His prince charming.

Keith’s little giggles as he ran down the servant’s tunnel.

His happiness as they lay together in the dark, Fluffy around his waist and his arm around Keith.  

The way he matched Lance perfectly while dancing.

The gravity of the situation hits Lance for maybe the first time. That maybe Keith is forever, his forever, his _future_.

He opens the door of his quarters and is surprised to see that the room is already occupied.

Perched on the end of his bed is Allura, wearing a beautiful gown of white with a pastel rainbow pattern across it. It has spaghetti straps, one of which is falling off one of her slender shoulders. She looks like a dream, a goddess, but Lance has no idea why she is here, waiting for him.

“Hi Lance,” she says, a smile on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone suggested Lance and Keith write notes to each other and its only one note but I had fun writing it!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura reveals the reason for her late night visit to Lance and Lance and Keith have a (mostly) magical date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I had half chapters of literally every fic I write-I Have Secrets I Won't Share and Blood Paladin should be updated soon. Then, I have two untitled one shots started (one is a poly Voltron one and one is a Lodak one who only 5 people will read but you gotta do what you gotta do for yourself!)

Allura dips her head, exposing her slender neck. Pheromones are pumping in the air. Her eyes are dilated as she moves closer to Lance.

“I was thinking maybe we could spend some time together, Lance. Maybe I was too hasty not giving you a chance before…”

Her voice is like honey, dripping with sweetness and encouragement, husky with need. She gently rubs a hand down his bicep, a curved smile on her face.

She is basically doing everything an omega can do to attract an alpha and it is ridiculously successful. Lance can feel his body react like any red-blooded alpha would. Any other time and any other place and Lance would be falling into her arms, helpless against her charms.

But things are different now and he isn’t just any red-blooded alpha. He is a red-blooded alpha in love with someone else.  

Lance takes a step backward, closing himself off through body language and scent.

“Allura, no. You are gorgeous and anyone would be lucky to be with you. But, I belong to someone else now.” Lance pauses, gathering his courage. “You know that and you are best friends with that person and doing this is beneath you, both to get between two people already courting and to do it to your friend. What are you thinking?”

It is the harshest he has ever spoke or heard anyone else speak to Allura. He carefully watches for her reaction, half-scared of what that might be.

“Oh thank god,” Allura says, immediately losing all of the softness and openness she had before. She pulls her strap back up on her shoulder and plops down in a chair near his desk, yawning and stretching.

“Wha…what?”

Allura blushes and sighs. “I was asked by someone close to Keith to make sure you were true. It was unfair and I didn’t like it, but I’m very close to this person and could not say no when they asked me for this favor.”

Lance blinks, trying to process it.

“So, someone thinks so lowly of me that they think I would jump on another omega while courting the Prince of the entire Galran Kingdom?”

“Well…”

“That’s shitty, Allura. Have I done anything to make people think I am like that?”

“You have a reputation of being a flirt, an omega killer. There are rumors about your intentions with Keith. And, people here don’t know you, Lance. They don’t necessarily know better.”

“The Queen put you up to this?”

“No. The Queen would never. If she had doubts she would speak them to your face.”

“Keith himself then?”

Allura laughs. “You really don’t know him well if you think subterfuge and sneaking are his style.”

Lance smiles. “Yeah he would probably want to wrestle the truth out of me. Shiro then.” It’s not a question.

Allura looks away from him. “You are right to feel offended. But try to be forgiving. Keith is a bit…sheltered. The people close to him are very protective of him.”

“You guys are treating him like a child. He isn’t though. He is a prince, one that will one day rule an entire Kingdom. He’s made a choice out of his own free will and people need to accept that.”

Allura’s face softens. “You are right. I’m sorry for all of this.”

“And what about Lotor? What would the purple snob think of you, me, here alone…”

Allura laughs again. “He knew. We made a bet whether you would respond to me or not. The plan was always for me to leave if you did respond though and Lotor trusts me.”

“You bet on me!?”

Allura shrugs. “Royal life gets boring sometimes.”

Lance crosses his arms. “Who bet what?”

“I bet that you would turn me down. Lotor bet that you wouldn’t.”

“So Lotor thinks I’m cheating scum then?”

“No.” Allura looks off into the distance, eyes glistening. “Lotor doesn’t think any alpha in the world is capable of turning me down.” Then she stands, stretching a bit.

“I’ll talk to Keith and tell him about this. No secrets with your future husband, right?”

“Right,” Lance answers.

Allura pauses at the door. “Lance? I’m in love with Lotor and you with Keith. But, you are one of the good ones and I was not lying when I said I was hasty turning you down.”

“Things turn out how they should in the end, one way or another.”

“Yes. Some melodies are best left unsung. We both found our true destinies here in Daibazaal, afterall.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

In the morning, a surprise waits for Lance. A summons. A date with Keith. Lance leaps out of bed, quickly, showering, combing his hair, spritzing himself with body spray, making sure he looks his best for his beloved.

Unfortunately, his best lasts for about 5 minutes of greeting Keith before he is led into what looks like a huge forest made of bramble rather than trees. It is also close to the Daibazaal volcanic fields, meaning most of the morning is spent pushing through narrow, thorny paths of bramble in extreme heat.

Keith, quiet as he guides Lance, is in his full human form, not even the tail showing up. Lance never knows which Keith he will get each day. Sometimes full Galra, sometimes half, sometimes human with the tail. Lance loves all of Keith’s forms though he is partial to the half-form where Keith keeps some of his human softness paired with big fluffy ears and cute little fangs. He misses Fluffy today, his friend and wingman, but he knows Keith tends to run hotter in his Galran form so it is likely a deliberate choice.  

Keith had only told him that he had a surprise for Lance before starting this trip. A secret. He seemed a little nervous, a little awkward while saying it, but that is pretty normal for Keith. Lance will follow him anywhere, especially to see a surprise just for him. However, when Lance is going on an hour of walking behind Keith, pressing through painful thick thorns and dominating heat, he can’t keep his silence anymore.

“So, are you sure you remember where you are going?”

“This is my home, Lance.”

“Ok. It’s a big country so no shame in admitting you are lost though.”

“I’m not lost!”

Lance laughs nervously. “Like, are you going to murder me and leave my body out here?”

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know. That is what all the true crime stories sound like. Lead me somewhere isolated, throw my body in a shallow grave…”

“No they don’t. Most crimes are crimes of passion. I would have murdered you back at home and then dragged your body out here on the back of a horse or something. Personally, if I needed to dispose of a body, I would throw it in the lava river though. Nothing would remain.”

“So you’ve thought about it?”

“Who hasn’t thought about how to hide a body?”

“Uh, well…”

They wind for seemingly forever through the brambles. True to his word, Keith is able to navigate them successfully so that they aren’t too cut up, but it is still unpleasant, hot, and occasionally painful.

When the sun is peaking in the sky, Keith slows down, clenching his fists and rubbing his thumbs against his index fingers. His scent sours.

Lance recognizes that he is nervous. Despite the sun being high in the sky, it is still fairly dark where they are due to the canopy of brambles. He looks into the dark brambles, swearing he hears something. A crackle. A footprint. Something rubbing against a bramble.

“Keith?” Lance asks.

“Ok, so, I know that Altea is like, heaven. Beautiful. That you are used to beautiful things and not…Daibazaal.”

Lance nods, only half-listening as he frets over Keith’s sudden nervousness and the knowledge that something weird might be out there. 

“We don’t have a lot of beautiful things, but this…there is one thing that I always thought was pretty. I wanted to show it to you, but like, you don’t have to like them. It’s no big deal.”

“Them?”

“Just look. Out there. In the clearing. Or don’t. This was probably stupid. Let’s just go.”

Lance strains, ears picking up on what sounds like a twig snapping and more general shuffling noises. He steels himself, ignoring Keith’s sudden pretending not to care. It is a sweet idea from Keith, but god only knows what is actually out there that Keith interprets as pretty. He would have to pretend to like it, but his mind is racing with what it could be. A giant spider? A giant tick? A swarm of giant bees? A robeast pack? A monster made out of snot? Would it try to kill them? Could he pretend to think a giant snot spider is beautiful?

Keith has his arms crossed and his face twisted up. Underneath the stubbornness, Lance can smell just a bit of something else. Something vulnerable and gentle. Lance steels himself, telling himself he would say whatever is out there is beautiful, glancing through a slight opening giving him access to see a bigger opening, like a clearing in the bramble field. The noises are louder here, like there is something just out of view.

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, there is a snap, and something dances into view. A pop of color, a flash of glitter, a shimmering light.

Then, what is undoubtedly a unicorn pops into view. Lance’s jaw drops.  

“You guys have unicorns!” Lance screams, voice getting higher with each word.

“Shhhh. And we call them haggs.”

“Hags? Are you kidding me?”

“Why would I be kidding?”

“It needs a name like Amaliella, or Burning Ember Steeds or…”

“Hagg is the Galra word for fire and horse combined. Now shut up. Appreciate the magic.”

And Lance does.

More unicorns follow that first one, prancing across the field, nuzzling at each other and generally being majestic. These unicorns aren’t exactly like the ones he is familiar with though. Rather than pure white, they are more like fire unicorns. They have dark bodies like the sparkling remains of a pyre. Then, pure fire manes and tails that whip around them like they are alive. Finally, a golden red horn emerging from the middle of their heads, leaving trails of gold whenever they shake their impressive heads.

He thinks back to what Keith said. Keith had brought him here to make him happy, to show him something beautiful. His heart beats fast.

“They are the second most beautiful thing in all of Daibazaal,” Lance murmurs, scooting closer to Keith, carefully placing a hand on his hip.

Keith turns to him, a puzzled look on his face. “What’s the first?”

Lance snorts, pulling Keith closer so their bodies are touching now.

“You, you walnut.”

Keith flushes. “I’m not beautiful.”

“No…you are gorgeous, dazzling, handsome, stunning, angelic, resplendent, pulchritudinous…”*

Keith pushes at Lance. “You made that last one up.”

“I didn’t. Look it up.”

Lance pulls him back against him.

Keith looks down for a moment and then back up at Lance.

“So, you like the haggs?” He asks timidly.  

“Unicorns?”

“Fine, unicorns.”

“Yes. Thank you for bringing me here. You like them too?”

Keith’s shoulders sag with relief. He nods. “I liked to come out here when I was a kid. It was one of the only places I could be alone. No one wants to walk through the bramble forest. I would watch them all day and mom would worry. There wasn’t a lot of time to be alone though, not while being a prince.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

They stand for a moment, watching the dancing steeds. Then Lance tightens his grip on Keith’s hip.

“Altea is a beautiful place and I hope I can show it to you soon, but it isn’t the only beautiful place. Daibazaal is a magnificent country and one you should be proud of, even if its scary.”

Keith laughs. “Yeah, even these ha…unicorns. They are the most dangerous creatures in all of Daibazaal. No one dares attack one. Most say they are immortal and capable of stealing your life in a second.”

“Well, that is something else, other than beauty, that you and they have in common.”

Keith pinches his side. “I wouldn’t kill you.”

“But you could…and you’ve already stolen my life in the form of my heart.” Lance trips up at the end, just slightly, proud of himself and aware of the corniness of his statement.   

Keith laughs. “I can’t believe you just said that out loud.”

Lance shakes his head. “Me either.”

Still, Lance can smell a pleased smell coming from Keith. A happy omega.

“Well…” Keith clears his throat. “You must be a magician…”

Lance stares.

“because when I look at you everyone else disappears.” He smiles proudly.

“Did you learn that just to flirt with me?”

“Hey you aren’t the only one who can flirt!”

It’s so cute Lance might die and he knows he shouldn’t, but he pulls Keith even closer, turning to face him with Lance’s head falling on Keith’s shoulder. Keith wraps his arms around Lance and Lance is in heaven.

“Hey. So, this is fast, and you can say no. Of course you can. But…” Keith starts, fumbling over his words.

Lance looks up.

“Do you want to scent each other?”

Lance’s eyes immediately dilate. The answer is yes, a thousand times yes. So many yesses.

But, it’s fast. They are moving very fast. It is essentially a pre-engagement. A promise. There is nothing that says they shouldn’t. They had courted through gestures and dates at this point. It isn’t a real engagement either. But, it’s a step, and a big step.

But Lance already knows what’s in his heart.

“Yeah…yeah let’s do that.”

Keith nods and lowers his head, rolling it to the side and exposing his neck to Lance.

Instincts immediately flood Lance at the sight, not to dominate or control or claim, but rather to love and to protect. He leans in closely, placing his nose near Keith’s scent gland.

He is immediately overwhelmed by the smell.

His partner.

His everything.

His love in every universe, every timeline.

He turns his head too, letting Keith smell him.

Then he rubs, possessive in the kindest way possible. He wants everyone to know that Keith is Lance’s and that he is Keith’s. That they had chosen each other and nothing would ever separate them except the temporary split of death in some distant future before moving to the afterlife together.

Keith rubs just as eagerly back, so hard that Lance even stumbles back a little.

They are lost in the moment for awhile, nothing existing but both of their scents mingling and pheromones flying and literally nothing else matters but the feeling of their soulmate pressed against them, making a promise before flaming immortal unicorns.

When the moment finally fades, Lance can’t help but lean forward once more and press his lips to Keith’s scent gland, one that he knows will be marked with his teeth sooner rather than later.

Keith practically swoons, falling into Lance’s arms.

“A little too much for you, tough guy?” Lance says teasingly.

“Shut up. Wow.”

Lance refrains from teasing him more and also does not admit that his knees are like jelly too, hiding their shaking as him trying to navigate the brambles that led to the unicorn field.

When they separate that evening, Lance kisses him, deeply, passionately, and Keith kisses back, less skillfully but no less passionately.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Allura slips through the halls of the castle, heading for Keith’s chamber. Keith is her best friend and the guilt of tempting the man that Keith adores plagued her all day. She shouldn’t have doubted Lance, shouldn’t have been talked into doing it by Shiro anyway, but Lance had been a flirty little thing and Keith is dreadfully naïve sometimes.

Yes, a future king, but still naïve.

She would have to own up to it though and ask forgiveness. He would forgive, but she assumes she will at least be receiving another lecture, which is fine.

She makes her way into his bedroom, and immediately freezes. Keith is on his bed, curled up in a ball with a letter in his hand. But, what disturbs her is his smell. It’s off.

“Lura! Look what Lance wrote me!”

She takes the letter gingerly because she can smell alpha rut from a mile away.

“…I hope that I may attend-my friend Hunk is helping with the food and he makes the best, most delicious,  ~~plump, wet, juicy, dripping~~  food ever. I look forward to  ~~touching any part of you or just getting to look at you I don’t even care right now~~  dancing with you…”

“Uh, this is kind of…”

“Romantic?”

“That isn’t the word I would use.”

“He’s off his rut now so we got to dance together and we looked at stars and today we went on a date and I showed him the haggs,”

“Ok…”

“Then we scented each other then we had to walk forever during afternoon peak sun to get home and it was so hot, but everything is better with Lance there and…”

“Keith. Wait. Go back. You scented?”

Keith nods.

Allura’s heart begins beating fast. “You can’t just say that casually! Wow, Keith! I’m so happy for you.” She launches herself at the bed, wrapping her arms around him.

The smell makes sense now. Lance’s mingles with his now, at least temporarily before the permanent bite. She had been picking up on the subtle dark alpha notes in Keith’s scent.

Keith smiles dopily at her and then reaches forward, tugging at the ribbon in her hair.

“What are you doing?” Allura asks.

“Want it.”

“Uh, are you scent drunk?”

A moment later, the door flies open. They both look as a very tired looking Shiro stands there. He has a stack of sheets and pillows in his hands and a frown on his face.

“Our Beloved Prince Keith said his normal sheets feel like sand paper so I have gathered this for his comfort,” he says, mildly sarcastic as he dumps everything on the bed.

“Oh my god. Oh my god,” Allura squeals, figuring it out as Keith finally pulls the ribbon out of her hair and grips it tightly in his hand, laying back on the bed.

“Yep,” Shiro says.

“What?” Keith asks, latching onto one of the new pillows.

“You are nesting! Shiro, get out. Now. Keith and I have work to do.”

The conversation about Allura and Shiro’s mistake would have to wait. Nesting, and especially a first nesting, is a delicate thing. It marks a special change inside an omega and a future she knew Keith wanted.

“Ok, Keith. Let’s do this. First we need to make a list of people we need to gather from.”

Wrapped up in planning of a new nest, neither of them were aware of the storm heading over the horizon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how much omega biology I want to get into, but the first nesting doesn't happen with presentation and, when it happens, it is basically an indication that an omega is ovulating now.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Keith and Lance's bond deepens, a challenge appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry this took so long to get out. i have "restarted" now. i want to finish up every fic i am currently writing in time for one hell of a Darktober. i think this will end on chapter 15, with chapter 15 being a short epilogue with slight time skip.

“Come on, Keith. You can do it. Just trust yourself.”

“I don’t know. I can’t…”

“You can. I believe in you. We all believe in you.”

Keith grips the sock tightly to his chest. He slowly walks forward, putting the sock close to the wall, about halfway down the bed. Then, he nods.

Allura cheers, patting him on the back as his shoulders droop in relief.

See, nests are tricky. Shiro is one of the most important people in his life. However, he is an alpha, unmated, and not related to him. He knows it isn’t romantic, but there is still a prick of something irritating the omega parts of him thinking about Shiro’s smell being in intimate places. Shiro needs to be in his nest somewhere, but where is hard to say.

He knows Lance wouldn’t like to roll over in bed and get a noseful of a strange alpha while in their nest.

Keith rarely feels this compelled, but this nest has to be perfect. He had already stolen every pillow and blanket he could get his hands on, snarling at anyone who dared tried to keep one. Only the Queen herself, Krolia, was able to wrestle a pillow away from him to keep for herself.

More importantly, Keith had items from all of his loved ones carefully placed around the nest. Shiro’s socks had been the last item and most difficult to place. The easiest had been the hoodie.

Late last night, the castle had received a visitor. A smirking Adam, bowing to all of them and then handing the garment over. Apparently, Lance had chosen it personally to send over, unable to do it himself because of customs and etiquette. An omega’s first nest is a delicate thing.

The hoodie is a kind, thoughtful gesture.

It is imbued with Lance’s scent, both his wrists and his neck and his armpits soaking the fabric with his odor.

Beyond the scent points, it is also something Keith can lay beneath his head or wear if necessary. For now, it sits directly where his head will go, one sleeve extended out so he could wrap it around himself if he wanted. 

Keith is one pleased omega, feeling a gentle tickle in his throat as he gazes upon the comfortable pile he has created.

“Keith?” Allura says quietly.

“What…”

“King Alfor arrived earlier today.”

“Hmmm? Why is he here?”

“I don’t know. He shouldn’t be, not yet.”

Keith shrugs, blowing off Allura’s worried gaze. Nothing could bring him down right now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A mess.

They are in a mess.

A mess that her son is still blissfully unaware of since he is currently distracted by Lance, curled up against his side and unable to take his eyes off the alpha.

The smell had been so strong when they both entered the meeting that Krolia had grabbed at Keith and pulled his collar down just to make sure that he wasn’t actually marked.

Thank gods, he is not, but they had scented and everyone in the room knew it by smell if not by the two being disgustingly sweet with one another despite being in public.

“Everyone” included a few politicians, a few generals including Lotor, Lance’s newly arrived father, King Alfor, his attendant, and, worst of all, Sendak, an anarchist who had never accepted her reign and had been working secretly to undermine her and Keith. She knew the Galra spent all of his time sowing discontent especially about her and Keith’s ability to rule. She worries that he found a weakness here, especially as she gazes at Lance stroking his hand through Keith’s hair while he giggles.

In other words, they are in an important meeting that her son and future son-in-law are currently ignoring. Lance has his hand wrapped around Keith’s tail and Keith is giggling at him, flicking the tail around.

A mess.

One that was easy to forget with the relative peace that had settled in the lands lately. A growing economy. Hard-won alliances with other kingdoms. Most recently and perhaps most importantly, Keith finally getting to be a normal person, first dates, cute alphas, holding hands and not caring who sees.

Krolia always wanted that for Keith.  

It is easy to become complacent to the roaches hiding in the dark when things seem to be going well.  

 “According to General Accord 839408X in year 30200, there can be exceptions made…” Lotor says.

“IF accepted by the entire Grand Council,” Sendak responds.

“My son cannot marry Prince Keith. It is clear once reviewing the records,” Alfor says.  

Then and only then do Lance and Keith seem to wake up.

“Father, what do you mean?” Lance asks.

“Son, I know you love Prince Keith, but two future rulers of different kingdoms cannot marry. It leaves one kingdom without an heir or it combines the two kingdoms, which would never be accepted by the Grand Council. It would be a monopoly of power.”

“There has to be some way around this,” Lance snorts.

King Alfor looks at Krolia.

Apparently and unfortunately, there _are_ rules against this. To be honest, Krolia had been so busy merely attempting to keep the kingdom together that she hadn’t read the thousands of pages of records and laws. In her mind, she would not stop her son from pursuing love, even if that love is in the form of another prince, even if it against some stupid law.

Krolia takes one look at Keith’s shimmering, sad eyes and turns to the group. “There has to be some way around this,” she repeats Lance’s words.   

“There are exceptions, as I mentioned before, according to the General Accord Acts of…”

“Shut up, Lotor. Princes have certain duties and I’m not sure either _prince_ here has proven himself worthy of the title,” Sendak hisses. 

“I will not have people disrespect my son like this,” Alfor cries. “Come on Lance, we are leaving.”

He might as well have been speaking to a statue. Lance is firmly planted by Keith’s side, gripping his hand. Krolia notes how solid they seem, how comfortable they are next to one another.  

Krolia watches as her son looks at Lance and then takes a step forward, head high in the air.

“If this is true, then there is only one possibility left. I give up my title of Prince and my claim to the throne.”

There are gasps from around the room, including from Krolia herself. She steps forward, ready to strangle Keith to death in front of everyone, but she is interrupted.  

“Nope. No you—No, no, no, no, no, no, no you don't. I’m saving our relationship,” Lance shoulders his way forward, pushing past Keith.

“I give up my title of Prince and claim to the throne. I was going to do it first and you cut me off!”

“I gave it up first!” Keith squares up with Lance.

“I gave it up last so it counts more!”

Krolia briefly makes eye contact with Alfor, a similar long-suffering look on both of their faces.

“No one is giving up their princehood!” King Alfor says, cutting through the boys bickering.

 “And this is the boy you think should rule Daibazaal? One who so easily gives up his duty for the first pretty boy alpha that prances in front of him?”

“Watch your tongue, Sendak,” Krolia warns.

“The fact that a Galra, if you can even call him that, chose an Altean as a mate…revolting…”

“Excuse me?” Lance and King Alfor say at the same time.

“He’s a half breed and an omega, one who is willing to whore himself out to an Altean. I do not accept him as heir.”

Everything falls silent and still.

“Your acceptance of him as the heir is unnecessary. He qualifies under Code 84402888 written by….”

“You are just a half-breed mutt too, Lotor. Stop acting like you understand the Galran way. Too long have we let this woman and her omega brat weaken the Galran pride. It ends here today.”

“Is that a challenge, Sendak?” Krolia asks, standing tall.

“It is.”

“I accept.” It’s the only choice. If word got around that she backed down from a challenge, her rule would be over. It is the Galran way, after all.  

Sendak grins. “I’m not challenging you. I’m challenging the princes.”

Lance visibly seems to relax. “Well, that’s fine. We will both crush you and we can move on from this.”

“I mean, we can just change the law, right?” Keith responds, reaching to hold Lance’s hand again.  

“I’m challenging you both under the tradition of the Galra Gods of Old Ritual of Mating Combat. I also vote no confidence in the heir, Prince Keith, or his chosen mate, the Altean Alpha.”

“That…that isn’t fair,” Keith stutters.

“This is ridiculous,” Krolia sputters.

“What does that mean?” Lance asks Keith quietly.  

“I invoke the challenge as my right as a Galran Commander to ensure the strength of the Galran rule,” Sendak continues.

“So we have to fight each other?” Lance asks, looking at Keith.

Krolia considers just jumping forward and ripping out Sendak’s throat. Perhaps she should have done this long ago. She knows he has been working behind the scenes to spread discontent, to bring doubt to her son, to create instability.

To bring in such an archaic and ridiculous ceremony as the Ritual of Mating Combat one though. She fumes, hands clenching. It’s barbaric. But, there are already whispers, already people watching her carefully. Killing Sendak would no longer eliminate the problem. It may even make it worse, make it seem like there is something to hide.  

Adam grabs Lance’s hand, dragging him forward. It is part of the tradition, to separate before the event. To allow a quiet night before such a monstrous activity occurs.

It still breaks Krolia’s heart as she grabs her distressed son, pulling him away from his chosen mate, back to the castle where they can regroup.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Lance isn’t entirely sure he knows what is happening. He is wishing he had paid a little more attention in his History and Culture classes. He vaguely remembers some of the older Galran customs, finding most of them backwards and terrible. He has to fight Keith to prove something, which, on the surface, doesn’t seem that bad. Surely it wasn’t to the death and they had sparred before. They would just give everyone a show to reveal their power or whatever and go home, right? Then they could deal with that pesky little marriage detail later.

But Keith had looked sick to his stomach and Krolia and his dad had the serious, pinched look on their faces that makes Lance worry that he is missing something.

He sits in his temporary living quarters and questions Adam as to what exactly is happening, yet Adam had been just as negligent in those classes and doesn’t know either. Or, at least, doesn’t know the true implications of the matter.

The answers to his questions come in the form of a shy knock on the door. Adam opens the door, weapon drawn to reveal a resigned looking Shiro.  

“Hi,” he says. “Can I come in?”

Adam looks at Lance who nods.

Shiro seems uncomfortable in the space, holding his hands behind his back almost as if trying to make himself seem smaller.

“So, what the quiznack is a Ritual Combat…Mating…Whatever?” Lance asks.

“It’s a barbaric practice and one that has fallen out of tradition, but not out of law. Sendak is trying to use it to get rid of Keith, one way or another, and make people mistrust Krolia and her ability to rule.”

“And what is this tradition?”

“You have to fight as in really fight. No pulling punches. The Galra will know. They know what both of you are capable of and they will expect you to use it.”

“Ok…so we really fight,” Lance does air quotes around the word really.  

“Then you will bite Keith, if you win, bonding him to you.”

“Not gonna happen,” Lance says immediately. They had already discussed this. The Galra did tend to do mating bites publicly, but Keith wanted it to be private. Lance had already spoken to him about doing the Altean mating bite ritual. But, either way, he would not go against his mate’s wishes and bite Keith in front of his people.

Shiro sighs and continues. “If Keith wins, you will not be accepted as his mate, ever. You will also lose the respect of our kingdom and possibly surrounding ones. It is barbaric, but the alpha needs to beat the omega. You are supposed to be stronger.” Shiro’s lips curl. “You could still technically be mates, but the Galran Kingdom and those kingdoms like us would never respect you and possibly Altea ever again.”

“That’s laughable. What is this, the 2000s? What if I win?”

“Keith would either be forcibly removed from his position as Prince or at the very least lose the respect of the people. We value strength and Sendak has been very busy making people think Keith is too weak to rule the Kingdom. Being brought down in public and bitten by an alpha in front of everyone…”

“That’s fucked up.” Lance is fuming. A deep anger sparks inside him. “And if we both just say no and refuse?”

“Sendak will spin it as both of you being cowards and unfit to rule. He won’t be able to depose you from power, of course, but he has a shot at Keith. The Galra are not all evil, but there are conservative sentiments that lay beneath the surface. Keith is a half-breed. Keith is also now an omega. To some, that indicates that he is not fit to rule.”

Lance punches the wall, unable to stop himself. It hurts, but he doesn’t regret the hole that is now left there.

“Whatever. Fuck everyone. I’m in love with Keith and we are both great rulers. I’m going to find a way to make him happy and make the world a better place through our ruling of both our kingdoms as a mated pair. Got that?”

Shiro stares at him for a moment and then nods, standing.

“For some reason, I believe what you say, Prince Lance of Altea. I wish you both luck tomorrow.”  

He bows and then turns to leave. He only takes a few steps before a hand is on his shoulder.

Adam. Lance’s guard.   

“You don’t like Lance,” Adam says casually.

Shiro recoils a bit in surprise. “Well. I mean. I don’t necessarily dislike him.”

“Really?”

“That isn’t really what we should worry about right now and really, I don’t.”

“But there is something there that you have against him.”

Shiro is silent.

“I watched Keith grow up. He’s always had to be so strong. He never had a lot of time to just be a kid.”

“You care about him, then.”

“I do, more than words can express. He has a lot to deal with, including Sendak and his men constantly behind the scenes constantly trying to drag him down, constantly looking for any weakness.”

“And Lance is a weakness?”

Shiro thinks. “I wasn’t sure of Lance’s intentions at first. They moved so fast through courtship. And, you have to admit them being together left us open to Sendak’s poison.”

“That isn’t their faults. I also watched Lance grow up. I can’t always step in and help him though when he struggles.”

Shiro sighs and looks up at the sky.

“You’re right. I think maybe in trying to protect him so much I may have become the person who never let him just be a kid. Like, Keith should be able to go on dates and fall in love and be flustered whenever a cute boy walks in the room. Perhaps I’ve been wrong.”

Adam smiles at him. “Yes. You’ve been wrong to Keith and Lance.”

“I…did something stupid a few days ago trying to test Lance. Gods. I’ll make it up to him, to Keith. Lance has proven himself honorable every step of the way.”

“He’s a good kid. You know he is going to take a dive for Keith, right?”

Shiro snorts. “And you know Keith is going to try to take a dive for him too right?”

“Our little idiots…” Adam’s voice is full of fondness.

“We will figure it out. They will figure it out. We just need to trust them.”

Adam nods.

They both pause then, seeing the curious sight of Lotor rushing across the grounds in the dark, an extremely short person jogging at his side to keep up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith fighting over giving up their princehood for each other is the first thing i wrote for this story lmaodhi3hefiurhf

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my twitter I take fic reqs/ideas
> 
>  
> 
> [Midnight Twitter](https://twitter.com/MidNigh29712110)


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